


Stucky Meet at the Gym

by MissPilot



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Bottom Bucky Barnes, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gay Bucky Barnes, Hurt Steve Rogers, M/M, Mechanic Bucky Barnes, POV Bucky Barnes, POV Steve Rogers, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Smut, Top Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 05:15:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 27,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20304043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissPilot/pseuds/MissPilot
Summary: If you, like me, love a slow build Stucky romance, this might be for you: lots of sexual tension and worries about whether he feels the same way. All comments gratefully received.





	1. Release

**Author's Note:**

> I’m in the UK and therefore likely to have used the wrong terms for some things in this US based fanfic. If anyone would like to check my Americanisms, I’m more than willing to Britpic in return. Please let me know if I’ve used words Americans wouldn’t and I’ll change them.

Jab, cross, hook. Breathing out with each hit, head tilted down, Bucky felt the power of each punch come from the muscles of his core. Jab, cross, hook. The rhythm often soothed him, but tonight he seemed to be getting more keyed up, not less, as he pounded sand and dust from the bag’s seams. 

He tried to forget his crappy day - the feelings that had made him reach for his gloves - and just be in this moment, but even this wasn’t taking him out of himself. His usually careful routine, it’s footwork, defensive feints and rhythmical steps left, right and back and forth, were forgotten in the animalistic need to hit and hit hard. He took off one glove, skipped a track or two on his playlist and turned up the music. It was late, nobody was nearby to hear it if angry bass leaked from his headphones and Bucky needed the escapism that the beat provided inside his head. He tucked his phone back into his pocket, pulled on his glove and raised his fists, allowing the music to work with the adrenaline now coursing through him. 

Steve had noticed the brunet before and had seen him box, but tonight he found he couldn’t walk past. Looking down from an internal window in a quiet hall overlooking the end of the dimly lit gym floor, he wouldn’t be seen unless the object of his interest looked up, and that seemed unlikely given the focus he was giving his target. 

His stance was practiced and controlled, with one glove held up to his cheek while he flung the other towards the bag, and the hits were hard enough that Steve could tell he knew what he was doing, but as he watched, the man’s workout seemed to lose the precision and rhythm of a well-oiled routine and something more desperate, more basic, took over. 

If Steve carried on down this corridor he’d come out at the main door, bypassing the gym floor completely; perhaps he’d go down to the water fountain before he headed home?

Up close, it was even more obvious that the dark haired man’s usual precision had given way to passion and his technique had blurred into sweat and grit. Steve admired the singular focus he was displaying, not seeming at all bothered by the presence of another patron of the gym behind him. He admired the long, lean lines of muscle that powered those fists too, and he took his time to empty, rinse and refill his bottle much more thoroughly than usual. Each time the man’s left arm reached its target, a gleam of silver filled him with curiosity, but the speed and power of the hits made it impossible for Steve to see more. 

As a song from his playlist gave way to one of his favourites, Bucky grinned to himself. He felt the swell of the drumbeat envelop him as the tempo picked up and the bass filled his chest with its warming energy. He he gritted his teeth, replanted his feet and flexed his clenched fists in his gloves. He threw a powerful jab at the bag, drawing from the music to give it all he had. 

The man had muscular thighs and his brown hair, shaved short at the back and sides but longer on top, looked ridiculously touchable, but it was the man’s torso and the set of those wide shoulders that Steve found so hypnotic. The vest that loosely covered him was open under the arm holes to reveal beautifully corded muscle down the man’s side and his arms were strong and sculpted. His music was blaring - the track was audible to Steve and his superhuman hearing even standing at the water fountain - and he had worked up quite a sweat. Steve was a little embarrassed to be drawn to the sheen on his skin. As creepy as it felt, Steve couldn’t leave. He dropped his towel and gym bag near another punching bag and went to fetch a pair of gloves. He was entitled to box too, wasn’t he? Nothing stalkery about that, surely? 

It wasn’t until the song ended, the music dying to brief silence between tracks, that Bucky heard the thwack of a fist on a bag to his right. The sudden noise was unexpected and he started back as he turned towards the source of the sound. The man punching the bag must have seen Bucky’s startled movement, he realised, because he stopped, holding up his gloved hands in a placating posture. 

“Shit! You gave me a fright, man! Didn’t know you were there!” Bucky had somehow ripped his headphones from his ears, despite his gloved hands, and was bending over, breathing hard. He huffed an embarrassed laugh. 

“Sorry! The other man looked embarrassed too, his body language awkward. “I didn’t realise.”

“No, my fault. My music was loud,” Bucky explained. He looked up at the man in front of him, only now taking him in properly. He was wearing a cap, but the stubbled jaw beneath it and the body were breathtaking. In an effort not to stare, he busied himself removing his gloves and disconnecting his headphones. 

“Don’t let me put you off, please.” The man was removing his own gloves and sounded genuinely apologetic that he’d interrupted. That endearing tone, coupled with that deep rumble of a voice, did very distracting things to Bucky. He was put off, whether the handsome stranger wanted him to be or not. 

“Nah, I was finishing. Wore myself out,” Bucky said, which was mostly the truth. 

“Yeah, you were really going for it for a while there! Bad day?” 

Bucky squinted in embarrassment and rubbed at the back of his neck, eyes on the floor at his feet. “Something like that. Just needed to get out of my own thoughts for a while. Do you know what I mean?” 

“Yeah, I do. Yeah.” The man lifted his cap from his head and ruffled his hair, tucked the hat under his left arm and held out his right hand to Bucky. “Steve,” he introduced himself. 

Bucky shook the proffered hand and introduced himself to the blond. Looking into to the handsome face full on now, he recognised Steve Rogers with a roil of his stomach. Captain America had seen him box and he hadn’t known he was there. Captain fucking America. 

Captain America - Steve - must have seen that look pass over a thousand people’s faces and Bucky knew that Steve knew that Bucky knew who he was. The convoluted thought made his head hurt, and none of this was helping Bucky to school his face into a socially acceptable expression. He coughed, awkward. 

“Well, I’ll see you around, Steve.” Bucky nodded politely as he gathered his stuff and headed for the changing rooms. 

“Bye, Bucky,” Steve answered. He was left in an empty gym with only a bag to his left swinging gently to remind him that someone else had been here.


	2. Aftermath

And can we have your comment on the current political situation?” asked a journalist, raising her hand so Steve would know where to aim the answer she was hoping to get. From behind the panel of Avengers gathered for the press conference, Steve’s eyes flitted to his left. He was checking in with someone, Bucky realised, or reassuring them that he wouldn’t say anything too controversial. He wished he could tell who it was off screen that Steve was communicating with. 

“I don’t get to talk politics,” Steve hedged, “But just let me say this: everyone, no matter their race, colour, nationality, religion, gender or sexuality is entitled to the respect and protection of those in power, and at the minute I don’t think our leaders are fulfilling that role. We have a way to go.”

Bucky felt a swell of pride at Steve’s powerful words and a thrill of excitement at the sheer presence of him. The man looked iconic sitting there, statuesque body radiating power and integrity and determination in the set of his chiseled jaw, and Bucky shivered at the thought of the reality of Steve close up. Bucky had stood next to him, spoken to him, and knew how magnetic - and how good - he seemed in person. 

The channel cut to clips of Steve and the other Avengers from old news stories, the voice-over detailing their various victories and hinting at possible disagreements between the heroes and authorities. 

—————————————————————————

“Chinese?” 

“Yeah, sure.”

“Or Korean?” 

“I’m up for whatever.” 

“Really?!” Natasha’s lips curled in an evil looking grin. “I’ll remember that!” 

“Can we eat?” Steve rolled his eyes, smiling at his friend. He hoped never to get on the wrong side of Black Widow. She would wipe the floor with him. 

“We can eat as soon as you make a decision, Steve!” He looked distracted, pausing as they drew level with a bar. 

“What is that song?”

“Um...it’s Fat Boy Slim, I think. Old school! Why? Didn’t peg you for a fan of that sort of thing.” 

Steve wasn’t sure if she looked impressed or suspicious. “I can branch out, you know! I missed a lot of music while I was on ice. I’d like to catch up.” 

“Oh yeah? What have you been branching out into? And who with?!” Natasha gave him a knowing smirk. 

Steve rolled his eyes, but he hadn’t answered, she noticed. 

—————————————————————————

Sitting on his sofa that night, Steve reached for his phone and searched ‘Fat Boy Slim’. ‘Weapon of Choice’ was interesting (Steve quite liked the video) and ‘Praise You’ was catchy, if a bit odd, but it was ‘Ya Mama’ that he’d been searching for. 45 seconds into the video - a video that he’d been frowning at until the familiar rif started - Steve closed his YouTube app and went straight to his music app to download it. He felt oddly excited as he plugged in his headphones and pressed play on the downloaded track. He turned it right up, eager to experience it like Bucky had at the punching bag. To feel surrounded by it. Surrounded by Bucky.


	3. Recognised

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pair meet again.

When Bucky next saw Steve at the gym, his heart, which was already racing from his exertions on the treadmill, gave a lurch. Walking up to a treadmill ahead of Bucky’s, Steve pressed a few buttons and started to make running look effortless. If Bucky hadn’t been watching so closely, he might not have noticed the sheer speed at which he ran. It didn’t look to be difficult; he managed it with such an easy grace that he could have been ambling along. It must take a lot of miles on one of those things to give you an ass and thighs like that, Bucky thought, catching himself licking his lips. Fuck! He had it bad! 

Bucky’s Steve-watching made the end of his 20 minutes on the treadmill seem to fly almost as fast as Steve ran, and before he knew it he was headed for a machine to Steve’s right. There wasn’t a vacant one angled so that Bucky’s left arm would be hidden by his body, but Steve wasn’t going to notice him or remember him, was he? Other than the metal arm, he was just another gym-goer to Steve. 

Swallowing his self-conscious feelings about his arm, Bucky shifted the pin on the machine to arrange his usual weight load and settled into the seat to work on his lats. He was pulling down and releasing slowly in a smooth rhythm, letting his music do its work, when Steve walked into his line of vision. It looked like he was saying something. Bucky released the bar above him and pulled out his earbuds. 

“Sorry, I didn’t want to sneak up on you this time!” Steve was smiling. At him. Captain America was talking to him. 

Bucky must have looked blank, because Steve’s smile faltered. “Steve,” he explained, unnecessarily. “We met the other night. I gave you a fright?” 

“Steve, hi! Yeah, of course.” Steve remembered him. He remembered talking to him. But then, anyone would remember the freak with the metal arm, Bucky reminded himself. 

“I mean, it was a very manly fright,” Steve was saying. He was teasing. Flirting? “You were very clearly only mildly startled, Bucky.” Steve’s grin was warm. And he remembered Bucky’s name! Holy shit! 

“Yeah,” Bucky joined in, “It’s not like I jumped three feet in the air or anything.” 

“Two, maybe?” 

Cheeky! Bucky sighed a laugh, allowing himself to enjoy this feeling. Captain America knew his name and was joking with him. Flirting? No! Captain America was straight, right? Had to be. 

“Two,” he agreed. 

“So, how you doing? Have you needed to pound on a bag yet today?” 

“Nope, no pounding needed today.” Did that sound as awful to Steve as it did to Bucky now he’d said it aloud? He cringed internally. “I’ve just done my usual.” Bucky gestured casually to the machines around him before dropping his right hand back to his lap. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone approaching the machine. “I think someone wants on,” he explained, a bit flustered now. Shit! Why couldn’t he have ignored him? Fuck gym etiquette when you were talking to Steve-Captain-America-Rogers! 

“I’m going to get a smoothie if you want to join me? If you’re finished?” 

Bucky hadn’t been finished - he’d barely started, in fact - but he was now. Steve knew his name. Steve wanted to drink smoothies with him. He hoped the messages his brain were sending his face about the importance of projecting a calm, casual expression were making it through. 

“Yeah, sure!” 

Bucky slung his towel over his left shoulder and followed Steve to the next room and the counter of the gym’s little juice bar. They ordered and he was careful to sit first at one of the four chairs at the nearest vacant table, eager to let Steve decide where to sit. 

When Steve did sit, it was right next to him, ignoring the seat opposite and, luckily for Bucky, on his right. Bucky looked at that beautiful face and felt a flutter in his gut. ‘Cap’ wanted to sit next to him. 

“The added protein here doesn’t taste as bad as the usual stuff,” Steve said as if by way of explanation. 

Bucky couldn’t help himself. “Do you need protein, Steve?” His smile was mocking but friendly. “I mean...” He gestured to Steve’s arms and torso. 

He had made Captain America blush. Was that some sort of crime? Treason? Bucky didn’t know, but he liked it. 

“It helps with hunger,” Steve explained. “I’m constantly ravenous. Like a bottomless pit! My friend Clint thinks it’s hilarious.”

“Clint? As in ‘Hawkeye’?” Steve looked embarrassed. Shit. 

“Yeah, Hawkeye. So you know what I do then? You...recognise me.”

“Do people ever not recognise you?” 

Steve smiled a little at that, resigned. “Not often, no. I spend a lot of my life in front of cameras I suppose.” He sighed. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it awkward.”

“You didn’t, really! Some people do, don’t get me wrong, but you didn’t.” He leaned in, conspiratorially, lowering his voice. “Sometimes, I know they know it’s me, and they know I know and they act all...weird. And there’s this awkward moment where we don’t acknowledge that they’ve noticed.”

“Been there!” Bucky smiled, tilting his head to his left side and flexing the fingers of his metal arm. 

Steve’s eyes widened in recognition. “Yeah, I bet. It must be really annoying for you. It is for me. I mean...I know it’s not the same for me, but...yeah.”

“I’ve got an odd-looking prosthetic; you’re globally recognised for saving the world. I think we know who has to put up with more staring, Steve!” Steve was glad to see Bucky was grinning. He liked the way Bucky said his name. 

“So, what do you do, Bucky? Other than work out here, I mean?” Perhaps Steve was changing the subject because he felt uncomfortable about talking about his arm, but Bucky didn’t think so. 

“I’m a mechanic.” 

“Wow! Great!” Steve looked genuinely impressed and Bucky was flattered, sure, but embarrassed too. 

“Is it?” His eyes narrowed but his smile was gentle. “It’s not important, not like what you do.”

“I’d love to have a really useful skill like that! I bet you’re really handy to have around! Unless you need something throwing really far or punching really hard, I’m a bit useless.” Again, Steve seemed to mean it, and Bucky’s heart melted a little at how such a hero - and a beautiful one at that - could be so down on himself. 

“Yeah, I mean, you’re only known for being a brilliant tactician, public speaker, strategist...” Bucky grinned. “It’s not like you’re of any use at all, Steve!” He laughed and Steve found it was catching. 

“I can’t fix anything though. Do you do bikes? Fix them, I mean. My Harley could do with a service and I haven’t found a good mechanic.” Crossing his fingers under the table, Steve sent out a silent apology to his regular (very reliable and talented) mechanic. He’d forgive him, especially if he told him about Bucky. 

“Yeah, bring it in!” Bucky tried to look casual, filing away the image   
of Steve on a Harley for later. He explained where to find the garage and Steve nodded.

“Is Monday OK? Do you need me to ring and book it in?”

“Nah! I’ll fit you in.” Bucky smiled and Steve saw how warm it made his eyes. 

Steve stood up. “Monday then. I’ll see you at the garage.” 

Bucky nodded and watched Steve make his way out, waving to a few people as he passed.


	4. Maintenance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the garage

After 45 minutes of doubting himself while he rode towards the garage, Steve’s heart was hammering as he pulled up. Just how wrong was it to orchestrate ways to see Bucky again? He couldn’t see him on the shop floor, so he lifted his visor and asked another mechanic who was nearby. He gestured to a bay two down and Steve saw a pair of feet sticking out from under a car. 

“Buck! Visitor for you!” the man shouted. Steve nodded his thanks, took off his helmet and ruffled and then smoothed his hair as he made his way over. 

Bucky must have heard. The feet and knees sticking out from under the car walked him out towards Steve and the rest of his body and then his grease-smeared smiling face appeared, temporarily at least. “Steve! Give me two minutes and I’ll be right with ya.” He disappeared underneath again and Steve was left looking at his horizontal thighs...and his crotch. He looked away guiltily, studying posters on maintenance and charts about wheel sizes and tread depths on the walls, willing himself not to blush at the thoughts he hoped no-one could read on his face. 

Bucky sounded a bit muffled. “How’ve you been?” The creeper board rolled out a little more and Steve looked back to him. 

His face hidden, Bucky felt brave. He rolled out a little more, far enough to reveal his waist to Steve and then reached up above his head, making sure his T-shirt rode up and breathing in to try and define the muscles there that he thought of as his best assets. Was Steve looking? Only one way to tell. 

“Good, thanks,” Steve said. Did he sound a little...distracted, Bucky wondered? 

Quickly rolling the creeper all the way out, Bucky came face to face with a pink cheeked Steve. He feigned nonchalance. He had been looking. Was Steve gay? Bi? Bucky certainly hoped so! He wasn’t under any illusions that Steve liked him like that (how could he?), but it was flattering to think that Captain America might like looking at his abs. 

“Any issues with your bike?” He stood now, almost as tall as Steve. 

“No, she runs great. Just want to keep her that way.” 

“Great. Half an hour ok? You can wait in there if you want?”

Bucky gestured to a portion of the garage filled with faded pleather seats and walled off with plasterboard and long windows that was obviously used as a waiting room for customers. Steve nodded and smiled as he went, turning back to smile at Bucky again as he went into the waiting room. 

“Is that..?” Kenny was walking over from his bay next to Bucky’s, looking a bit stunned. 

“Yup!” Bucky gave him a huge grin and then turned back to see Steve sit himself in the waiting area. 

————————————————————

It was difficult to both do a thorough job on Steve’s beloved bike and ogle its owner discretely. The Harley bore all the signs of being well maintained - recently serviced even - and Bucky wondered just how many mechanics Steve would go to before he found one he liked. He hoped he’d bring it back to Bucky. He’d love to get his hands on the beautiful machine again. And the man himself...Bucky could happily spend all day mooning over Steve! 

A woman in the waiting area (a very attractive one, at that) had sat herself in a chair near Steve, and as Bucky watched surreptitiously she struck up a conversation with him. Steve didn’t seem to mind, and Bucky found himself wracked with pangs of jealousy. 

She was handsy, Bucky silently grumbled to himself while he sulked. Far too flirty. That hand did not need to be on Steve’s arm like that for her to make her point! 

Finally, another mechanic, Ella, finished with the flirty woman’s car and she was called into the little office next door to settle her bill. Bucky watched her write something down - her phone number, presumably - and hand it to Steve with a calculating smile before she headed over to settle up. 

When Bucky went in to fetch Steve to walk him to the office, he was engrossed in a magazine article. “Hey.” 

“Hi, Bucky! Everything OK with my bike?” 

“Yeah! It’s perfect. We’ll only charge you time. No parts needed. I wouldn’t charge you, but...not my garage.”

“No - of course! I get it, Bucky. I’m grateful. Good to know she’s in safe hands.” Steve’s smile was inviting, but Bucky couldn’t quite return it with the enthusiasm he’d felt earlier. 

As he headed into the office, Steve thought that the smile he’d got from Bucky hadn’t quite reach his eyes. It wasn’t quite like the warm smiles he’d become so addicted to.


	5. Digits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky is sad, but then Steve is brave.

It was later that same week when they next met. Bucky had tried not to day-dream about Steve too much since Monday (had tried not to let himself get excited about knowing him), so seeing him again at the gym hurt his heart a little this time, reminding him of his jealousy at the garage. Still, Steve approached Bucky and struck up a conversation again, and Bucky couldn’t help but grin as they talked. 

“What do you actually do at the gym, Steve?” Bucky teased. 

“Um...the same as you?” He laughed. 

“No, I mean, you run and row...but you could probably bench me without breaking a sweat, right?” Steve didn’t miss the way that Bucky’s eyes flicked to his arms and his chest. “So, do you just use the weights and hit the punching bags like the rest of us? Do you get anything out of that?”

Steve’s embarrassed grin made his cheeks that particular shade of pink that Bucky was learning to love. “Well, yeah, I mostly do the same. I just keep some extra stuff here.” He beckoned Bucky towards the free weights and opened a nearby cupboard with a key code. “Stan lets me keep these here.” 

“Are these...Captain America grade weights?” Bucky sounded awed. 

“They’re just a bit heavier than the other stuff on the floor.” Bucky gave Steve a cynical look, clearly not fooled by his modesty, and hefted the smallest of the weights near him. The resulting bark of a laugh made Steve’s smile almost as wide as Bucky’s. 

“Yeah Steve! Just a bit heavier!” Bucky was smiling and shaking his head and Steve ducked his head in embarrassment. 

“I had a friend make them for me. I needed to get out of the tower - Stark tower - and I hate working out alone so I prefer the gym here.”

“What about the punching bags?”

“I can still hit them! Bucky was looking amused again. Steve caved. “If I’m careful.”

“If you’re careful?”

“Yeah, I mean, I have to be careful not to hit them...you know...full pelt.”

“Full pelt? Isn’t the idea to hit them hard and keep it up? How does that work for you?”

“Well, it doesn’t really. I don’t usually box here.” Steve’s cheeks were pinking up again. 

“You don’t?” Bucky was curious now. 

“Not usually, no.” The pair let that hang in the air: the thought that Steve had been punching a bag near to Bucky that night in a nearly empty gym even though it wasn’t something he usually did. That thing in Bucky’s gut fluttered again. He squashed it. Nope, the man was straight. Surely? 

“Could I get your number, Bucky?” 

Bucky blinked. “My number?” 

“Yeah. Or I could give you mine instead? No pressure then. You text me if you want to. Or not. You know...” Steve suddenly looked lost and somehow small. 

Bucky got out his phone and Steve read out his number, but Bucky didn’t look up as Steve bumbled his thanks. Had he gone too far, Steve worried? Bucky was still playing with his phone and Steve couldn’t read his expression. Should he go? Had he offended him? 

“There,” Bucky said, finally looking up. A text alert lit up Steve’s phone in his hand. 

Unknown number: I wanted to text you. Now you have my number.

“Text me. Or not...you know.” Bucky’s tone was teasing. He walked away and Steve tried, and failed, to wipe the big smirk off his face.


	6. The Next Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who will make the next move?

Steve had been so panicked asking for Bucky’s number - asking on impulse after stressing about how to ask to see him outside the gym - and he was glad it had gone so well, but how should he make the next move? 

He grinned to himself, remembering how he’d felt when Bucky had sent him a text standing there in front of him, and how he’d nearly imploded when Bucky asked him to text him back with that wicked look on his face. Now, the ball was firmly in Steve’s court and he was unsure what to do. 

—————————————————————————

‘I will not text Steve first. I will wait until he texts me.’ It had started off as a bit of a mantra for Bucky to say to himself whenever he reached for his cell phone and had become more of a repetitive internal monologue as the afternoon wore on. He really hoped Steve would send a message soon. He was going to cave to the pressure soon and send a text himself. 

He sighed, looking at the dark screen of his phone for what felt like the millionth time and then got up to run a bath. He fancied a long soak and he might allow himself a silly fantasy about Steve as he tried to relax. 

His cell phone was running low on battery so he plugged it in next to his bed and connected it to the wireless speaker in the bathroom, scrolling to a playlist of relaxing music and filling the bathroom with slow, soothing sounds. The bath hadn’t quite filled when he eased himself in, so he allowed the water to run for a while, noisily competing with the music. When he tightened the faucets to stop the water, the room seemed all the more calm. 

Bucky’s fantasies were always dramatic, but he enjoyed them all the more for it. He closed his eyes, imagining Steve rushing to the garage to see him, demanding to know where he was and kissing him in front of the flirty customer (who Steve didn’t even acknowledge). Or Steve turning up at his door unannounced. Steve being asked in a press conference about his love life and announcing that there was a special man in his life. 

The sound of a text lighting up Bucky’s phone in the next room, the tone chirping through the Bluetooth speaker and echoing off the tiled walls, made him sit up so quickly that water slopped out of the tub and over the floor. 

He climbed out, grabbing a towel, and raced into his bedroom, slipping and no doubt leaving soggy carnage in his wake. 

Steve: Hi Bucky. Just wanted to say I’m really glad I met you. I don’t know many people outside work and it’s great to make a new friend. 

Should Bucky reply? Or keep him waiting? He didn’t want to come on too strong or seem too keen. His phone screen lit up. 

Steve: It’s Steve by the way. From the gym. 

That made Bucky smile. He started to type. 

Bucky: That must be why your number just came up as ‘Steve by the way. From the gym’ when you text me! Hi Steve from the gym. It was nice to meet you too. 

Steve: I forgot you put my number in your cell [embarrassed face emoji]

Bucky: You should be careful, giving out your number if you’re going to forget about it! I’m that memorable, eh? 

Steve laughed out loud at that. He hadn’t been able to get Bucky off his mind since that night at the gym when he’d seen him box. 

Steve: You’re very memorable, Bucky. 

Bucky smiled a big goofy grin to himself and made his way back into the bathroom to mop up the tsunami he’d caused. Steve thought he was memorable. 

Dry and clad in pyjama pants now, Bucky sat to write his carefully worded reply. 

Bucky: Well I have one arm and by the sounds of it I’m your only friend who doesn’t have some sort of super power, so I guess that makes me pretty distinctive. 

Steve was tempted to text back to say that Bucky was both pretty and distinctive, but he held back. 

Steve: Don’t forget the fact that you’re one of the few people in my life with any useful skills. Anyone who is a friend of my bike is a friend of mine. 

Bucky: I’m definitely a friend of your bike. That thing is a work of art. 

Steve: SHE is a work of art, yes. 

Bucky: Sorry! I forgot she’s the important lady in your life. 

Steve: She’s the only lady in my life. 

Bucky: What about Widow? 

Steve: I’d like to see you call Nat a lady. I don’t think it would go well. 

Bucky: I’ll take your word for it! What are you up to? Nat and Clint with you? 

Steve: Not tonight. They went to get dinner. Clint is searching for the best Reuben in Manhattan and Nat and Bruce are humouring him in his search. 

Hmm...Bucky didn’t like there being a Bruce in Steve’s life. Who was he?

Bucky: You didn’t want to go out? 

Steve: Not really. I wanted to watch crappy TV and eat junk food. 

Bucky: NO FAIR! The rest of us have to watch what we eat and work out like crazy to avoid becoming blimps and you eat like that and look like...you! 

Steve pictured Bucky’s body (and those cheekbones and that angular stubbled jaw...) and felt a surge of want. 

Steve: You seem to be doing a pretty good job, Bucky! You’re in great shape. 

Bucky: Flattery might just get you the best Reuben in the city. 

Steve: Really? You know where I can find it? 

Bucky: You need to try the deli on 7th. 

Steve: I have a meeting I have to go to at Stark tower tomorrow and I could really do with something to look forward to afterwards. (It’s going to be so boring!) 

Steve: Do you fancy lunch at the deli afterwards? I should be finished by 1. 

Bucky: Yeah, I’d like that. 

Steve: Great! I’ll see you there! 

Steve: Woah - just realised how late it is! Sorry if I kept you up. Good night Bucky. 

Bucky looked at the time. It was late, not that he minded at all. This had been the best evening in forever. 

Bucky: Good luck with the meeting! Night.


	7. Tunnel Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve is bi.

Bucky could tell from the set of Steve’s shoulders as he walked towards the table that his meeting hadn’t gone well. “You ok?” 

Steve sat, flashing an apologetic smile at Bucky before his face tensed again. “Hi. I will be. Sorry, rough morning. Apparently, one of the team think that my ‘lifestyle’ could be ‘a problem’.” If Steve’s body language hadn’t been enough to tell Bucky how frustrated he was, the air quotes would have done it. “What he means by that, of course, is my sexuality. Which is none of his business.” Steve looked more no-nonsense - more Captain America - in that moment than Bucky had ever seen him before. It was hot...and it was distracting Bucky from the real issue at hand. He closed his mouth, hoping it hadn’t been hanging open too long. 

“Asshole! I didn’t think people still said things like that in this day and age. Who on your team said that?”

“One of the PR people. Stark shot him down in flames pretty quick, but I hate that he might be right.”

“About the public? I don’t think they’d care, but it might take a bit of getting used to I suppose?” Bucky was appalled for Steve - of course he was - but he felt more than a little flare of hope too. “It might take people time to adjust. I mean, I didn’t know you were gay. Not that it should matter to anyone, but people don’t really know, do they? I don’t think that woman in the garage had got the memo.” 

“I like men and women, but it’s not something I hide; I just haven’t made any official announcement about it.” Steve’s earnest expression became clouded as his brow furrowed. “Which woman do you mean?” 

“In the waiting room. Didn’t you get her number?” I know you must get a lot of people throwing themselves at you, but she was pretty.” 

“You thought she was pretty? I mean, I suppose she was.”

“You didn’t?”

“I didn’t really notice. I’m into someone else.” He was smiling gently. “Someone else who’s pretty, and I get kind of...tunnel vision. I don’t really notice anyone else when I really like someone.”

Was Steve into a woman? Or had he just called Bucky pretty? God, he hoped so. He hoped, too, that he wasn’t blushing. 

A waitress arrived. “What can I get you?” Bucky would need to analyse Steve’s language later. 

—————————————————————————

Steve: The Reuben at the deli was good, but I’ve heard of another contender for the prize. Want to check it out with me? 

Bucky: Sure! How about Saturday? 

As they texted back and forth, Steve sharing the address of the place he’d like to go and the pair agreeing what time suited them, Bucky started to wonder what it was that they were arranging. A date? A lunch with a friend? Should he ask? His confusion only deepened when they discovered that they were going to a restaurant only a few blocks from Bucky’s apartment. 

Steve: Should meet you at your place then? I could leave the bike at yours and we could walk from there? 

Steve was picking him up. Or were they just arranging to walk together? 

—————————————————————————

Bucky kept his home pretty tidy, but the possibility of Steve seeing it kept Bucky busy cleaning, sorting and tidying his apartment well into Friday night. Steve would probably only come to the door, but Bucky didn’t want to risk him seeing his home at anything less than it’s best. 

As he waited for Steve, he paced, straightening things that were already straight. Next time, he thought, he’d meet Steve there so he’d be busy traveling instead of wearing a hole in the floor in front of his TV. Next time? Would there be one? Steve’s knock interrupted his train of thought and he breathed in a much needed lung-full of air as he opened the door. 

Steve looked just as edible as usual. As it happened, Steve did come in, but only just inside so that Bucky could grab the coat he’d left in his bedroom. “Nice place, Buck!” 

They made their way to the restaurant and had their meal, chatting as they walked and ate and making each other laugh as usual. As Bucky had noticed last time they ate together, Steve (who was always polite) was especially generous to the servers in the restaurant, saying complimentary things about the food and the service and leaving a big tip. He was such a gentle giant, Bucky thought. 

“Fancy dessert?” Steve was gesturing to a bodega, and Bucky laughed. 

“What kind of dessert do you get from a bodega?” 

“Only the best dessert! Ice cream! Want one?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Bucky teased, “You could probably be partying on Tony Stark’s yacht right now or sitting on the couch on some glamorous TV talk show, but instead you look all excited about ice cream. What is wrong with you?!” 

Steve’s grin softened and he looked down into the chiller cabinet and then glanced up at Bucky. 

“Nowhere I’d rather be, Buck.” 

That look and the sincerity in his voice took Bucky’s breath away temporarily, and he had no answer to that. He stared, cheeks pink, and Steve looked at him shyly. 

His expression changed abruptly as a noise that Bucky couldn’t hear got Steve’s attention and his head snapped up to the aisle behind them. He suddenly looked all business and Bucky stiffened. 

“There’s something going on.” Steve, with his hands on Bucky’s upper arms as he edged past him in the narrow aisle, set off quietly towards the register, keeping Bucky behind him as he went. 

Bucky knew he should be scared, but it just wasn’t possible in that moment with Steve looking all Captain America and his bulk shielding Bucky from whatever they were moving towards. His right arm burned deliciously from the brief touch of Steve’s hand as he followed closely behind him. 

At the end of the aisle where there was a space in front of the register, a man had stopped, his gaze fixed on the cashier. As Bucky watched over Steve’s shoulder, he raised his voice. “All the money in this bag. Now!” 

It was real bad luck to choose this bodega, here and now, Bucky thought, to try and make some quick cash. He hoped the idiot robbing a store that just happened to contain Captain America was a hardened criminal who deserved to get caught and not some kid desperate enough to make his first mistake. 

The man drew a gun from his jacket and Steve stepped up quietly to grip it, pointing the barrel towards the floor. “I’ll take that.” Steve was quiet and almost polite and Bucky felt a strange urge to laugh. 

The man turned towards Steve, but rather than let go of the gun he gritted his teeth and drove his other fist into Steve’s abdomen. Steve let out a small grunt, but the blow didn’t move him an inch and a look of panic crept into the expression of the previously confident robber. Steve sighed. “Quit while you’re ahead, man.” He sounded bored and commanding at the same time. 

When the man drew back his tattooed fist for a second time, Steve wrenched the gun from his hand, holding it behind him in his left hand while he used his right to bring the man to the floor. He was flat on the tiles, Steve’s hand pinning him by the scruff of his collar, before Bucky could make out what had happened. 

“Call 911 please, sir,” Steve directed the cashier calmly. “Ask them to send a unit to retrieve a suspect and a weapon.” He looked behind him for Bucky and spoke low over his shoulder to him. “Sorry, Buck. It looks like I’ll have to wait here for a while. And the police might want your statement.”

His apologetic look made Bucky smirk. “You just stopped an armed robbery, Steve. This isn’t an inconvenience.”


	8. The flu.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky is ill.

Bucky: Sorry Steve, I don’t think I can go this afternoon. Think I’m coming down with something.

Steve was disappointed Bucky wouldn’t be coming with him, but it was probably for the best. He’d been running out of excuses to see Bucky and using his expertise in the hunt for a car - a car that Steve didn’t really want or need - was a bit thin even by Steve’s now desperate standards. Eventually he was going to have to ask Bucky out and face the fact that Bucky might not feel the same way. He parked that thought for the minute. 

Steve: Don’t worry about it. You ok? 

Bucky: It’s just a cold but I’m going to come home and sleep straight after work. Feel rough. 

Steve: The first car I’m seeing isn’t too far from the garage [another stretching of the truth] so if I go early I might drop by. Do you need anything? 

Bucky: Thanks, but I’m good. Just need to cocoon in a blanket as soon as I can. 

Bucky couldn’t remember having ever felt worse. His body was racked alternately with shivers and hot flushes and he ached all over. He had assumed that once he was up and moving, and had lubricated his system with coffee, he would feel a bit better, but if anything the aching was more draining once was upright. 

He called in sick to work and then raided his medicine cabinet. Bucky gathered together a stock of pain killers, decongestants and cough syrup, and dosed himself up with as much as he felt he could safely take in one go and then collapsed on the couch. 

Only when his eyelids had begun to droop did Bucky remember that he had little to no food in the apartment and that he had stripped his bed as he got out of it and that he would need to put on clean sheets before he could climb back in. The thought of exerting himself like that made Bucky feel sick, so he closed his eyes and curled up in a ball. 

When he heard the knock at the door, Bucky was quite happy to ignore it. That was until he heard Steve’s voice. “Bucky? I probably should have called, but I was worried. I brought you soup. Bucky?” 

Part of Bucky - the vain part - knew he must look like death, but most of him felt too ill to care. And Steve had come all this way. 

He slumped to the floor and clung to the arm of the couch, using it to right himself, opening the door and then leaning his head in the crook of the arm holding it open. “Hi Steve. I don’t want to get you sick.”

“Not possible. Not since the serum.” Steve’s face was creased with worry. He must look terrible. “You should sit, Buck. Looks like you have the flu. Can I come in?” 

Bucky barely registered the use of the nickname as he smiled weakly at Steve and moved aside to let him in. “Thanks. You didn’t need to bring me food.” 

“The garage said you were too sick to go to work and I thought I’d come and see if you needed anything. Have you eaten?”

“Erm...not since...no.” Bucky looked confused. He collapsed back into the sofa cushions and Steve hovered anxiously. 

“Good thing I brought this then.” He held up the bag he’d brought. “I’ll grab a bowl.” Bucky gestured weakly to the kitchen and Steve disappeared from sight. Bucky felt his eyes close as he heard drawers and cupboards being opened and shut. Together, the tablets he’d taken and this flu were conspiring to kick his ass. 

When Steve returned, he’d filled a bowl with steaming soup and had found a tray so he could deliver it along with a glass of juice and one of water. “You need fluids, Buck.” 

Bucky smiled in thanks and Steve settled the soup on the tray in his lap, putting the drinks on the coffee table. The soup was delicious and Steve watched as Bucky ate as much as he could, taking it from him when he put down the spoon. “Water or juice?” 

“Juice sounds great. Thank you for this, Steve.” 

Steve placed the glass in his hand. “It’s nothing. You need to be in bed, Bucky. You look about ready to drop.”

“I’ll curl up here and sleep it off. I’m feeling better already thanks to you. Needed that soup.” Bucky’s voice had started to become quiet and Steve took the glass from his hand before it pitched any further to the left. 

“I’ll get you a blanket,” Bucky heard him say. He sounded like he was really far away. 

Full, warm and possibly over medicated, Bucky slept soundly. His only dream was one of being lifted gently and carried with his head resting on the firm warmth of Steve’s chest. Dream Steve settled him gently in his bed and stroked the hair back from his forehead. Bucky hummed in satisfied appreciation. He liked dream Steve almost as much as real life Steve. 

When Bucky woke again it was to find that he was in his bed, which had been made up with the bedclothes he’d left folded on his chair. A glass of water had been left next to his alarm clock (which read 3am) and he gulped some down gratefully. He still felt terrible, but much better than he had earlier that night. His bladder was demanding his attention, so he climbed reluctantly out of bed and went to the bathroom. Had Steve gone, he wondered? Bucky padded quietly into the living room, stopping in the doorway to take in the sight. 

Steve was stretched out, impossibly large on the relatively small couch. His face was peaceful in sleep, but his limbs were splayed in what looked like an uncomfortable position, with his arms tucked in tight next to his chest and one leg flung out so his foot rested on the floor. 

Bucky was flooded with fondness; he looked down at the man who had rushed to bring him soup. His face heated as he thought about Steve carrying him to his bed. Steve stroking his forehead. It wasn’t how he’d imagined Steve taking him to bed, but the thought made blood rush to his face and his dick at the same time. 

Creeping back to his room to find a blanket, Bucky covered Steve over and went back to bed. As he curled up, he imagined how warm he’d be if Steve was in his bed instead of on his couch. 

—————————————————————————

“Morning sunshine!” Bucky was croaky, but he was up and about and Steve felt relieved as he peered up at him from the couch. 

“Morning. How you feeling?” 

“Better than yesterday, but then that’s not difficult. I was out of it.” His face coloured a little. “Thanks for looking after me, Steve. You didn’t have to spend the night on my lumpy couch.” He sat on the edge of it and Steve sat up a little. 

“I just wanted to make sure you were ok. I’d have asked, but you weren’t with it.”

“You didn’t need to ask, I just don’t like the thought of you sleeping on this old thing.” The thought of the alternative - of Steve being in his bed with him - wasn’t helping him regain his composure. 

Steve really wanted to take Bucky’s hand, but he had imposed enough and Bucky wasn’t well. “I was fine! I could sleep on a clothesline.”

Bucky smiled at him. “Hungry? I think I have eggs.” 

“You are not cooking for me! You’re not well, Buck! I’ll cook.” He got up quickly, already dressed if a little rumpled from sleeping on his make-shift bed, and went into the kitchen. Once again, Bucky heard him rummaging around. 

Bucky liked the way Steve shortened his name. It sounded familiar. People who were close to him called him Buck. He slid onto the couch. Steve’s body had warmed it and Bucky sank down, curling up and savouring the heat. 

“Pancakes ok?” 

“That sounds amazing! Thanks.”

After a delicious breakfast, Steve fussed over Bucky some more, making sure he had everything he needed to hand, and then insisted on going out to get groceries. He stocked the fridge and medicine cabinet and then stood, a little awkward, in front of Bucky who was lying on the couch. 

“I’d better go - you need to rest - but call me if you need anything.” 

Bucky didn’t want Steve to go, but he didn’t want him to have to nurse him either. “I’ll be fine, especially since I have everything I could need now. Thanks, Captain Nightingale.” He hoped his teasing smirk also portrayed how grateful he felt. 

“Please call if you need me.” Steve’s voice was soft. “If you need anything.” 

“I’ll be fine. Promise. And if I’m not, you’re the first person I’ll call.” Bucky meant it, he realised.


	9. Digital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve goes to work.

Bucky: Did you decide on a car? I can take a look before you hand over any cash if you like? 

Steve: Hi Buck! No, I didn’t get that far. Haven’t seen many yet. 

Bucky: I can come look with you this week if you want? 

Steve: I’d like that, but I’m going to have to go away for work. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Could be 2 weeks, could be 3. 

Bucky: Is this the sort of work trip where I’m likely to see you doing something dangerous on the news? 

Steve: Hopefully not. If this goes well, the public will never know. 

Bucky: But you’ll still be doing something dangerous? 

Steve: I’ll be fine! 

Bucky’s stomach churned. That wasn’t a no. Before he’d met him in the flesh, Steve had seemed invincible. Untouchable. But now Steve was in his life, he seemed vulnerable. Like he could be taken away. 

Bucky: Please be careful! Text me to let me know you’re ok. 

Steve didn’t want to worry Bucky, but the thought of Bucky caring for him lit him up from the inside out. He ran a thumb over the edge of his cell, smiling at it goofily. 

Steve: I’ll be careful, I promise. And I’ll text you when I can. It’d be nice to stay in touch with the real world. Long missions can feel surreal sometimes. 

—————————————————————————

Bucky sank onto his couch and rested his aching head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. 

His cell vibrated in his pocket and he was delighted to see Steve’s name on the screen. 

Steve: Hi! How are you? Work ok? 

Bucky: I was just thinking how tired I was, but then you texted me and I realised you’ve probably been risking life and limb, so I really can’t complain. 

Steve: You can complain to me anytime, Buck! Long day? 

Bucky: Just busy. Nothing bad. How about you? I know you can’t tell me everything, but how’s it going? 

———————————————————

Bucky was so understanding, Steve thought. He knew that he couldn’t tell him everything about the mission and just accepted it without question. 

Steve: I’m ok. We’re tracking a group we need to catch up to, but trying to help the locals at the same time. It’s a bit complicated. 

Bucky: They’re lucky to have you. Are some of the team there to watch your back? 

Steve: Yeah, we’re all here so we’ve got each other’s backs. 

Steve knew he could trust Bucky. He wouldn’t tell anyone else that none of the the Avengers were in Manhattan. 

There was a knock on the bulkhead and Steve looked up to see Nat stood in the doorway of the quinjet’s bunk room, smirking at the dreamy look Steve must have been giving his cell phone. “Wheels up in ten. Who you talking to?”

“A friend.” 

“You don’t look like that when Tony texts you!”

Steve rolled his eyes and sighed. “Ok. A special friend.”

Nat wiggled her eyebrows teasingly and left him to it. 

Steve: I have to suit up, but I’ll text you later if that’s ok.

Only the thought of Steve running into danger stopped Bucky’s daydreams of him in his Captain America suit. 

Bucky: Let me know you’re safe. 

Steve got ready for their next drop into enemy territory with a warmth blossoming in his chest. 

—————————————————————————

Each time Steve was going to work - going into battle - Bucky worried until the text arrived to tell him that he was ok. It didn’t help that Steve’s version of ‘ok’ wasn’t quite the same as Bucky’s. 

Bucky: You’re ok then? 

Steve: Yeah, I’m fine. I’m healing already and there won’t even be a scar in a few days. 

Bucky: A scar from what?! 

Steve: It was a through and through. Nothing to worry about. 

Bucky: You got SHOT?! 

Steve: It comes with the job, Buck. I promise I’ll be fine. 

Bucky: You’re not fine, Steve. You have a hole in you from a bullet passing through your body. That is not fine! 

Steve: No hole. Healing already, see? 

There was a picture attached and Bucky opened it, his cloying anxiety turning to something else as he looked at the image of Steve’s muscled side. The bullet hole had indeed healed over already leaving an angry red wound that would be gone before long. The skin of Steve’s chest and stomach looked soft and smooth in contrast to the hardened muscles beneath. Holy shit. Bucky hoped he would get to see that body in the flesh one day. 

Bucky: It’s a good job you heal well. 

Steve: I was literally made for this. Please try not to worry. It takes a lot to hurt me. 

Bucky: You’re not invincible though. I’ll worry less if you promise to be extra careful. 

Steve: I promise.


	10. Pictures

Bucky: I thought about asking Stan for the key-code to your weights cupboard, but I think I’ll stick to regular weights for now. ;) 

There was a picture and Steve’s heart skipped a beat as he opened it to see Bucky’s smiling face at the gym. 

“Ooh! Who’s the hottie?!” 

Annoyed that Nat had been looking over his shoulder, Steve looked around to check if anyone else had heard. Mercifully, there was no-one within earshot. 

Steve gestured for her to keep her voice down and replied quietly. “My friend. His name’s Bucky.” 

“Bucky is hot.” 

“Bucky’s a nice person. And smart. And funny and practical...and hot,” Steve admitted with a smile. 

“I’m pleased for you, Steve.”

“Don’t be pleased just yet. I haven’t asked him out.”

“Well, don’t hang around too long, because he might just get snapped up.”

—————————————————————————

Steve couldn’t send anything to Bucky that would give too much away about their mission, but he felt it was his turn to send a picture. He waited until they were on the quinjet - neutral territory as far as photo backdrops went - and snapped a selfie with Bruce, Tony and Thor in the background. 

Tony and Bruce were deep in conversation and their facial expressions weren’t flattering, while Thor was looking baffled in the direction of the camera phone, clearly confused as to what Steve was doing. The end result was very funny, he thought. 

—————————————————————————

The picture, when Bucky opened it, made him laugh out loud in the break room at work. Steve had managed to make the other Avengers look moronic and his big, smug smile set the whole thing off beautifully. 

Bucky: Haha! You look very pleased with yourself! 

Steve: I’m just getting used to smartphones really so that was a good one for me. 

Bucky: It looks like smartphones are pretty new to Thor too! :D

Steve: He’s not one for Earth tech. 

Steve: I think we might be out of signal range for a few days, so don’t worry if I go quiet on you. 

Bucky: OK. Look after yourself. NO GETTING SHOT please! 

Steve: Yes sir!


	11. Cell service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky is there for Steve when he needs him.

Steve was glad that he’d warned Bucky he would be out of communication range for a while; he didn’t want him to worry. When the mission got difficult - when civilians were wandering hurt and dazed after attacks by the group the Avengers were tracking and Steve saw so much suffering - he wanted more than anything to talk to Bucky. He craved not only the normality of his conversations with Bucky but his calming, soothing virtual presence too. 

One night, after staying strong all day, after watching the local villagers cry, scream and (even worse) stare blankly into space, Steve curled up in his bunk and thought of Bucky. He needed the comfort of the man he knew he was falling for. As though summoned, Steve’s phone beeped with a text. 

Bucky: I’m serious, Captain! Be careful out there. 

It must have been sent just after they lost signal. 

Signal! That meant his phone now had cell service! Without even thinking, Steve scrolled to Bucky’s number and pressed the icon on the screen to call him. 

Bucky didn’t answer right away and Steve resigned himself to leaving a message; just as he gave up hope, Bucky was there on the line.

“‘Lo? Steve? You ok?” He sounded gravelly. He was still coming round from sleep. 

His voice was his new favourite sound, Steve decided. “I’m sorry to wake you. I just...”

“Steve, what is it?” Bucky sounded worried now. 

“No, don’t worry, it’s not...I just had signal and I wanted...I needed to hear your voice.” 

“It’s good to hear from you. How are you? Really, I mean.”

“I’m ok, just a bit...It’s been a tough few days.” 

“In what way? I know you can’t give me details, but I want to hear about it, Steve. If you want to tell me.” 

Bucky’s kind words were exactly what Steve needed but they made his heart hurt and he struggled not to cry. Not to bawl, in fact. “There were civilians hurt this week. They got hurt before we could get to them. It was...just awful! There were kids with injuries and people so damaged that they couldn’t speak. And I couldn’t stop it, Bucky. I felt so helpless.”

“Shit, Steve. That sounds like hell. What were you and the others doing in all this?”

“Moving rations and medicines...getting doctors to people safely...lifting things to free trapped people...”

“You helped, Steve! I bet there are people there who will always remember the help you gave. You saved lives and you gave hope by the sounds of it. You reminded them that there are people who care.”

“I hope so.” 

“I know so.” 

“What else could you have done?” Bucky challenged. 

“I...”

“Nothing, Steve. You did all you could - did amazing things - for people who needed it most.” He sighed. “I wish I was there. No, I wish you were here.” 

Steve sounded so broken. Bucky ached to comfort him, to wrap his arms around him.

“Me too, Buck.” The line went quiet and Bucky was suddenly worried that the signal had gone again. 

“When I’m home, can we go out, Bucky?” 

“Of course! Wherever you want.” 

“No, I mean go out.” The emphasis Steve put on those last two words gave the request a new meaning. “Can I take you out, Buck? On a...on a date?” In the time it took for Bucky to answer, Steve had already braced himself for him to say no, but he wasn’t sorry he’d asked. It felt good to be honest. 

“I’d like that.”

“Yeah?” Steve was buoyant. His voice cracked with a different emotion now. 

“Yeah. Where you gonna take me?” Bucky’s voice was low. Warm. 

“Um...I hadn’t thought that far ahead!” 

“You could take me somewhere on your bike?” 

“My Harley?” Steve sounded delighted. “You like the bike, huh?” 

Bucky laughed. “You know I like the bike! I like you on the bike too.” 

“Huh?” Bucky could practically hear the goofy smile. 

The next thing Bucky said was distorted and his voice cut in and out, erasing syllables. The cell service was cutting out. It had been nice while it lasted. In fact, it had been amazing, Steve thought. 

Bucky: The reception’s gone again, so you probably won’t get this until next time you have service. I’m looking forward to our date. I can’t wait to see you, Steve. 

Bucky: And if you get shot before our date, I’ll kill you myself.


	12. Stark Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve comes home.

Steve kept his voice low, but it was obvious how excited he was. “I did it: I asked Bucky out. We’re going on a date when we get home!”

“That’s great, Steve!” Nat seemed genuinely excited for him. 

“What we so pleased about?” Tony asked, bouncing in on the balls of his feet. Thor and Bruce were half a step behind him. 

“Steve has a date!” Steve rolled his eyes at her, but Nat still looked like the spider who’d got the cream. 

“Who’s the lucky lady, Cap?” Tony looked positively delighted, no doubt because this might open Steve up to new avenues of ridicule. Clint came in, tuning in straight away to the conversation. 

“He’s called Bucky and he goes to my gym. He’s a mechanic.” 

“And he’s hot,” Nat added, helpfully. 

Tony’s grin widened, but the others looked taken aback. They perhaps hadn’t gotten the ‘Steve’s bi’ memo. Unlike Tony, they hadn’t been at the meeting with the PR people. There was a pause. 

“Bucky, huh? I like it,” said Clint. “Steve and Bucky. Stucky!” He nodded his approval. While it seemed to be based entirely and arbitrarily on Bucky’s name, Steve was grateful for his support. 

“I hope you’ll be very happy, Steve,” Thor announced. 

“Yeah. I’m pleased for you,” Bruce added. 

Steve didn’t know what to say, so he just beamed at his friends. 

————————————————————————

Steve: I have service again! Your last text just arrived, and no, I haven’t been shot since we last spoke. 

Bucky: Well done! :D How’s it going? How’s everyone holding up? 

Steve: We’re almost there so everyone’s feeling pretty good. Just one or two loose ends to tie up and then we should be coming home. 

Bucky started to type a reply and then found that what he really wanted to say was that he’d really missed Steve and he couldn’t wait for him to be home. Was that too much? Steve had asked him out, but he’d also been really upset and had needed support at the time. What if he regretted it or didn’t really feel as strongly as he had in the heat of the moment? 

Fuck it.

Bucky: Great! It’ll be good to have you home. I’ve missed you. How long do you think it’ll be until you get back? 

Steve read the message through five times, savouring it, before he sent a reply. 

Steve: I’ve missed you too. It’s been so good to be able to talk while I’ve been away. You’ve kept me sane. I’m hoping we’ll be back the day after tomorrow. 

————————————————————————

Nothing else in Bucky’s life had ever had him waiting as impatiently as Steve’s impending return and the date he had been promised. 

They text back and forth a couple of times the next morning (at least it was morning for Bucky) and then Steve had to work on tying up those loose ends he’d mentioned. There wasn’t a text after that, but Steve had warned that he might be out of communication range for a while. Bucky hoped he was on his way back and would be nearly home when they next spoke. 

He had just come in the door, dumping his gym bag and easing off his sneakers, when his phone rang. His heart leapt as he saw Steve’s name on the screen. 

“Hey, you! You near home?” 

“Bucky? This is Natasha. I’m a friend of Steve’s.” 

Bucky sat up straight in his seat. “What’s happened?” 

“Steve’s going to be fine, but he was injured and I thought he’d want me to let you know.” 

“How bad is it? Where is he?” 

“We’re in Stark tower and he’s with the doctors now.” 

“Can I see him?” There was a pause. “He’d be there for me if I got hurt.”

“I’ll send a car for you.”


	13. Burned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the medical wing

Bucky didn’t know what he was meant to do or where in the tower he was meant to go, but he rushed from the car and into the building in any case. A smartly dressed man behind a desk spotted Bucky before he could ask and he was whisked to an elevator where the button for the right floor was pressed for him. 

Just as in the car, the elevator ride was spent imagining the worst scenarios Bucky could think of. 

Black Widow - Nat - was waiting for him as he got off the elevator and she smiled a strained welcome.

“Hi,” she said. “This way.” 

—————————————————————————

There were bleeping machines monitoring Steve and he lay motionless on a hospital bed in the medical wing of the tower. 

Nat spoke softly to Bucky as they entered the room, not wanting to interrupt the doctors as they finished their work. “It looks really bad, but don’t forget that Steve heals really fast and he will be fine. He’s going to be off his feet for a while though.” 

Bucky nodded. “Shouldn’t he be in a hospital?”

“Our doctors know all about the speed of his metabolism and the way his body heals, so he’s in the best place.”

Steve had bandages covering much of his left side (at least, the bit that wasn’t covered by the bed sheet). 

The doctors went out, both acknowledging Nat politely but silently with nods and smiles. Bucky sank into the chair next to Steve’s bed and just looked at him. His face had been patched up too; there was gauze taped to his left cheek. 

Nat told him she’d be back to check on him and left him to sit by Steve. With nothing else to focus on, Bucky studied his face. There was tension there - it looked like Steve was concentrating - and he hoped that he wasn’t in pain. 

Bucky needed reassurance. He needed to feel proof that Steve was real and safe and that he was here. He picked up Steve’s hand and held it in both of his. The warmth was comforting. Steve gave a sigh and his face relaxed. Bucky choked out a quiet sob. 

—————————————————————————

When Steve came round, he felt the pain first. That wasn’t unfamiliar - he’d been injured pretty badly a few times and thought of it as part of his job - but the hands holding his were a new and very welcome feeling. 

He turned his head slowly to his right, trying to cause as little jostling to his various injuries as possible, and smiled at Bucky sitting next to him. 

Bucky must have heard or felt the slow movement and he raised his eyes to Steve’s. 

“Hey!”

“Hey. I’m home.”

Bucky huffed a humourless laugh. “I meant for you to come home in one piece, Steve.”

“Everything’s still attached.” He winced. “I can tell because it all hurts.”

“Everything is attached. You’re banged up pretty badly though. You got burned.”

“I’ll heal quick. Always do. I’m glad you’re here though.” 

“Nat called me.” 

“She did?” Steve blushed. “I told her we were friends and that I asked you out on a date.” 

“And then you regretted it and got blown up to avoid going out with me?” 

“How do you know I didn’t get blown up on purpose to have you hold my hand?” 

“Smooth, Steve.” 

—————————————————————————

Steve had to stay on the medical floor of Stark tower for four days. Three of them, to his annoyance, had to be spent in bed with lots of rest to allow his body to heal. Bucky visited and Steve lit up like a Christmas tree each time he walked in. They didn’t hold hands again, and Steve was desperate to feel Bucky’s touch but too shy to reach out. 

By day four all of Steve’s bandages had been removed and what had been burns were now new, pink skin. Within another day, there would be no sign of the aftermath of the bomb blast that had slowed down Captain America. 

When Bucky’s phone rang, he felt an odd tightening in his gut. The first time they’d spoken on the phone Steve had been in pain and the second time Steve’s number had appeared on the screen it had been Nat with bad news. This time was much better. 

“Hi!” 

“Hey! Are you going to let me take you out then?” 

“Did you decide what we should do?” 

“I thought we’d go to an Italian place I know, if that’s ok?” 

“Yeah, that sounds nice.” 

“Tuesday?”

Today was Sunday. That gave Bucky two days to decide what to wear for their date and to have a scheduled freak out about the fact that he was going out on a date with Captain America. 

“Tuesday suits me!”


	14. First Date

As promised, Steve came to collect Bucky on his bike. His grin as Bucky opened his door was infectious and Bucky just smiled back until he remembered his manners and invited Steve in. 

Steve handed him a box. “I didn’t know if you were a flowers kind of guy, and they wouldn’t have survived the ride,” he grinned, “so I brought you these instead.” 

Bucky took the proffered chocolates. “Thanks, Steve! You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to bring something nice. For my date.” Steve’s smile at this wasn’t one of his huge grins, but it was warm and Bucky found he couldn’t look away.

When Bucky came to his senses, he put the chocolates in his small kitchen and picked up his coat. Steve admired his shape before it was hidden under an extra layer. Bucky looked smart yet casual in the kaki green t-shirt he wore with his black jeans, and his muscular shoulders and chest were visible through the thin fabric when he moved. The short sleeves allowed Steve to see Bucky’s prosthetic too, and he was glad he felt comfortable enough not to hide it. 

“I’ll go real careful. I promise,” Steve reassured as he handed Bucky a helmet outside. 

“I know you will. I trust you, Steve.” 

Once helmets were on and fastened, Steve climbed on and Bucky sat behind him. “You’ll need to hold on,” Steve said, just loud enough that Bucky could hear him through both helmets. He scooted forward a little more and put his hands on Steve’s waist. 

Steve kicked the bike to life and then, as if buoyed to bravery by its energy, took Bucky’s hands in his and wrapped them firmly around himself. Bucky shivered at the heat and solidity of the man he was now pressed up against. Bucky wasn’t a small man, but Steve was big and it did funny things to him. Deliciously funny things. 

Bucky was torn, as they rode through the city, between the wish to get off so that he could talk to Steve and see his face and the wish for this ride to go on forever so he would never to have to let go of him. He tried to just be in this moment, knowing that things with Steve might not go as he wanted and that this might be the closest he got to him. He would enjoy it while it lasted. 

They pulled up outside the little Italian and Bucky held on to Steve, pressing up against him, until after he had steadied the bike on its kickstand and removed his helmet. He had to move his hands then to take off his own helmet. He climbed off the bike and handed it to Steve. 

There was a slightly awkward moment where both smoothed their clothes and rearranged their hair and then Steve’s easy smile was back. “Shall we?” He gestured to the restaurant behind him. Bucky grinned back and they headed in. 

The restaurant was lit with soft lamps and candles and the music was gentle. Romantic, Bucky thought, something in his stomach fluttering. A waitress seated them and they found themselves face to face over their little table. 

“Is this ok?” Steve looked nervous and that seemed to help with Bucky’s nerves. 

“It’s great. I didn’t even know this place was here.” 

Steve looked relieved and then earnest. “I’m real glad you wanted to come out with me, Bucky.” 

“Of course I did!” 

“I wasn’t sure you...liked me like that.”

“Really?” Bucky’s incredulous tone was mocking, but only in a gentle way. “You couldn’t tell?” 

“No.”

Bucky shook his head. “That serum needs some work, man. It seems it didn’t quite fix your eyesight.” Steve didn’t answer, but he looked pleased. 

They studied the menu and ordered a meal for Bucky and enough to sustain a small village for a day for Steve. The waitress seemed surprised at the amount of food and Bucky hoped this meant that Steve hadn’t been here too often on too many dates. 

“Still not fair,” Bucky groused, good-natured, as Steve tucked into his meal. 

“You have my permission to tell me straight if I’m getting fat,” was his answer. 

Bucky snorted into his food, and they both laughed. 

They finished their meals and Steve, being Steve, asked to see the dessert menu. He was looking at Bucky’s mouth as the waitress walked away, and heat seared through Bucky. 

“Do I have something on my face?” 

“No. You look great, Buck. Always do.”

Bucky found himself licking his lips and he could have sworn he saw Steve’s pupils dilate. He was at serious risk of doing or saying something inappropriate and the thought of vaulting the little table and climbing into Steve’s lap was getting more and more appealing. He looked away. 

—————————————————————————

When Bucky’s blood wasn’t alight with longing, which seemed to be the case at intervals when he was with Steve, it was so easy to talk to him. They joked and chatted their way over dessert and back out to the bike (Steve insisting on paying, citing his huge appetite) and then Bucky was holding onto Steve on his Harley again, arms closing round him automatically this time. 

At his apartment, Steve walked Bucky to the front door and he wondered if Steve could hear his heart hammering. 

“You want to come up?” 

“I...I’d better not. But I had such a good time. Can I take you out again?” 

Bucky smiled. “What do you think?” 

“I hope that’s a yes. It’d be a mean way to turn me down, Buck.” 

Bucky stepped closer, his expression serious. “It’s a yes.” His eyes flitted from Steve’s eyes to his mouth. “A definite yes.”

Steve leaned in and their lips finally touched. The kiss was gentle - it was Steve, so if course it was gentle, Bucky thought - but Bucky had never felt anything like it. His body thrummed and sang, savouring the touch of those soft lips and craving more. 

Steve’s nerves seemed to fall away as they kissed, wiped away by the adrenaline that spiked in his system. He raised a gentle hand and cautiously ran it down Bucky’s arm, stepping slightly nearer. 

Bucky’s body reacted and he needed more. He wanted to pull Steve upstairs and climb into his clothes with him. Almost without instruction from his brain, his hands gripped the front of Steve’s button-down and he pulled them closer together, running his tongue along Steve’s lip as he did. Steve parted his lips slightly and it was as if heat that had been smouldering had been given oxygen.

It ignited. 

Bucky’s movements suddenly sped up, his tongue and lips moving against an eagerly reciprocating Steve, and one hand coiled around his neck. The other slid round to Steve’s back, pulling him in as if trying to weld them together. 

Steve had jumped from great heights, had battled for his life and won, but he’d never known excitement like this. His hands were on Bucky too, winding around his waist, and he thrilled to feel Bucky’s muscled back under his t-shirt. 

It was Steve who pulled back, panting into Bucky’s shoulder as he dropped his head. “Fuck.”

“Come up.”

Steve’s nose and lips didn’t quite touch Bucky’s neck as he raised his head again, but his breath on Bucky’s skin was enough to send goose-bumps all down his arms and back. 

“I shouldn’t. Not tonight.” 

Bucky kissed him again, knocking the air out of him. “Come upstairs,” he muttered near his mouth. 

“Bucky, you’re killing me here!” Steve stepped back a little. He looked half amused and half tortured. “I really like you, Buck. I want to do this properly.”

Bucky nodded, a small smile not hiding his disappointment. “Ok. I get it.” 

Steve smiled warmly as he backed up towards his bike. “Thursday? Wanna go out again?” 

“I want you to come up, but I suppose Thursday will have to do.” Bucky’s huge smile took any sting out of the taunt. 

“Good night, Buck.”

Bucky waved.


	15. Underground

Bucky: How about I take you out this time? 

Steve: Sounds good to me! Where we going? 

Bucky: It’s a surprise! That ok? 

Steve: I’m intrigued! 

Bucky: I’ll meet you in city hall park on Friday at 1 near the fountain. 

—————————————————————————

Bucky had been to a lot of trouble to arrange this date with Steve, but nerves still gnawed at him as he waited. He really hoped he’d pitched it right. 

As Steve strode towards him, Bucky suddenly felt a new wave of anxiety. Should he kiss Steve? Hug him hello? Now that he’d practically mauled him outside his apartment block, were they at the stage of PDA? 

Steve didn’t seem to suffer from any such anxiety. “Hi, you.” He leant down the couple of inches it took to give Bucky a quick kiss on the lips and then stepped back, looking excited. It was infectious. (Nerves? What nerves?)

“Hi yourself!”

“So then,” Steve asked, “What’s the plan?” 

“The plan is...a little alternative. I hope you’ll like it. We need to meet a man called Mike.”

Steve raised his eyebrows, looking amused. 

——————————————————

“Bucky, this is...amazing!” The look of awe on Steve’s face as he tried to take in the whole place at once made all the hassle of arranging this totally worth it. “How did you make it just the two of us?” 

“I’m owed a few favours by the guy who runs the tours - he’s been a customer at the garage for years - and there was time between tours for us to come down here...unofficially.”

“It’s stunning!” 

Steve wasn’t wrong. The city hall subway station was gorgeously ornate with its intricate tiled arches and beautiful stained glass skylights letting in light from ground level. Steve got excited discovering and pointing out tiny details, and while he looked around, Bucky watched Steve. 

Decommissioned in 1945, the subway station was a haven of calm and quiet now. As Steve wandered to an arch he wanted to look at, Bucky took off his backpack and got out the picnic he’d brought, laying it out on the blanket he’d stowed on top. 

Steve turned back to him, saying something about the colour of the tiles, and saw what he was doing. He tilted his head fondly. “You are something else, Bucky.” 

“It’s not a fancy restaurant, but this bag can hold a lot of food; hopefully it’s enough to feed me and you.”

“This all looks amazing.” Bucky grinned at brawny Steve folding himself up to sit on the blanket and Steve took his hand.

It didn’t take long for them to demolish the picnic between them, not with the way Steve ate, and then Bucky packed the containers back into the backpack and put the trash into a bag to throw away when they got above ground. 

They sat on the blanket for a minute, Steve looking at the ceiling and then at Bucky. 

“Thank you so much.”

“You are more than welcome, Steve. I’m really glad you like it.”

“I love it!” He scooted closer on the blanket, putting his arm around Bucky and pulling him in towards him. Bucky tucked his head under Steve’s chin, suddenly feeling small and protected, and listened to Steve’s steady heartbeat. 

Bucky moved first, sitting upright to look at Steve. “Are you still hungry?”

“No, I’m good.” Bucky raised his eyebrows, sceptical. “It was a lot of food!” Steve reasoned. 

“Yeah, but this is you we’re talking about!” 

“I mean, I could eat more, but I can always eat more.”

“I knew it!” Bucky’s laugh drew Steve in and he kissed him, leaning over and kneeling up to put his hands on the ground on either side of Bucky. Bucky let out a low moan and kissed him back fiercely. It felt like picking up where they had left off the other night. 

Bucky broke the kiss this time, breathing heavily and swallowing as he looked at Steve. “Mike will probably need us out of here soon. We’d better go.” 

Their date continued with a walk around the park and then a coffee (and rather a lot of cake for Steve) at a coffee shop nearby. As they headed for a more conventional subway station to go home, Steve was stopped by a few people who wanted a picture or an autograph. He was polite and charming to all of them, posing patiently and listening to the gushing of fans who were clearly over-awed by meeting him. 

When they were alone again, Steve’s cheeks turned rosy. He turned to Bucky. “Can I hold your hand?”

“Here? People will see.”

Steve looked crushed; his left hand dove into his pocket and his right came up to rub at his temple, awkwardly. “Oh, ok. Yeah, no worries.” 

“Do you not mind if people see you holding hands with me?” Bucky looked puzzled. 

“No! Why would I mind? I’d be proud to hold your hand, but it’s OK if you don’t want to.”

“I just don’t want you getting into trouble. With your PR people. You sure?” 

“It’s ok, Bucky. It’s probably too soon. I just got over-excited.” 

Bucky took Steve’s hand, smiling down at their interlinked fingers. “If you’re not worried about being seen, then I’d love to hold your hand.” 

“You sure?” 

“You don’t need to worry about us being seen?” 

“I dare people to say anything,” Steve said, vehement. 

Bucky grinned and stepped right up to Steve, crowding him backwards against a tree. He put both hands on the back of Steve’s neck and pulled him into a quick but passionate kiss.


	16. Date 3

The next day, Steve was all Bucky could think about. He loved spending time with him, but he was also really excited about kissing him again. About discovering the skin under his clothes that he hadn’t been able to touch yet. The thought of Steve’s big hands on his skin had him shivering. 

He was distracted at work, finding himself staring into space once or twice, and he enjoyed every minute. The tension in his body was delicious and unbearable at the same time. They hadn’t arranged another date yet, but Bucky hoped he’d hear from Steve soon. 

It didn’t take long. Steve was similarly affected. He was mooning and smiling so much that Tony cackled with laughter every time he passed him, turning Steve’s happy, vacant look to a scowl that didn’t linger on his face for very long. 

Steve: Do you fancy dinner at mine tonight? 

Bucky: I’d love to. Can I bring anything? 

Steve: Just yourself. 

Now it was Steve’s turn to frantically tidy up, casting a critical eye around his apartment and trying to guess what Bucky would think. He prepped the food, alerted Jarvis to Bucky’s visit and then went out for a run to calm his nerves. 

He was still in the shower when he realised he was almost out of time. Leaping out, he towelled off quickly and threw on the clothes he had thankfully picked out earlier. 

—————————————————————————  
As Bucky stepped into the foyer of Stark Tower, there was no suited lackey to whisk him into the elevator and he realised he didn’t know which floor Steve lived on. He was stood, looking at the elevator buttons and about to get out his cell phone to call Steve, when a disembodied voice emanated from somewhere above him. 

“Welcome Mr Barnes. Captain Rogers is expecting you. Please stand clear of the elevator doors.” 

Stunned, Bucky did as he was told, stepping further in. The doors closed and the elevator began to move upwards. “What...who is this?” 

“My name is Jarvis, Mr Barnes. I am an artificial intelligence tasked by Mr Stark to monitor and maintain Stark Tower, among other things.” 

“Of course you are.” Bucky shook his head in disbelief. Tony Stark had too much time on his hands and far too much money. 

When the short ride ended, Bucky expected to find himself faced with doors to different apartments to choose from, but instead the doors opened onto a small private hall with only one apartment door. 

Steve was waiting for him there, propping the door open for Bucky, wearing a smart blue button-up. His hair was slightly damp. Behind him Bucky saw a vast open-plan living area. Steve greeted Bucky with a quick kiss and ushered him inside. The giant TV and couches around it and the kitchen that Bucky could see in the far corner all looked stylish, modern and very high-spec. It was a beautiful space, but nothing stood out as being very ‘Steve’ here. 

“Hi!”

“Hi! This place is amazing. So I just had a conversation with the elevator. Is that the norm around here?”

“Sorry. I told Jarvis you were coming and asked him to show you straight up, but I didn’t think to tell you about him. You sort of forget that not everyone has AI to help run their lives.” Bucky looked like he couldn’t quite believe it. “You get used to him, really. Think of him like Alexa or Siri. Just really really smart.” 

The smell wafting through the apartment distracted Bucky then. “Something smells great!” 

“I hope it tastes good too! It’s just lasagne. Hope that’s ok?”

“Just? That sounds delicious, Steve.” Steve grinned in response. He took Bucky’s hand and led him towards the kitchen island - a giant surface dotted around with stools that separated the kitchen from the rest of the room. Bucky was given a drink and he settled on a stool to watch Steve finish their meal. While they talked, Steve prepared salad. 

Salad done, he leaned on the island from his side, bringing himself down to the the same eye level as Bucky seated in his stool and only a foot or so in front of him. “So, how’ve you been?” Nothing he said was particularly salacious, but his tone was inviting and he would only have to lean a little more to kiss Bucky. 

Bucky grinned. “Since five minutes ago when we last went out? I’ve been good.”

Steve’s smile faltered. “Did I ask you over too soon? Sorry, I just...” He stood up straight and looked down at his hands. “I just really like spending time with you.”

Bucky got up off his stool, walked round the island and stood in front of Steve. “You’re forgetting that I was the one who didn’t want you to leave after our first date.” His hands snaked around Steve’s waist and his voice was low and warm. Steve gulped, his breathing a little shallow. “It’s not too soon.”

Their lips met and Bucky felt like he could feel Steve’s longing for him - that he’d missed him - in the way he gripped Bucky to him, tightly and yet so carefully. 

The oven timer interrupted them then and they laughed as they broke apart. Steve gave Bucky a last chaste kiss and went to dish out their meal.


	17. Smut!

The lasagne was indeed delicious. Bucky made appreciative noises as he ate and Steve looked at first relieved and then thrilled. When they’d finished, Steve cleared their plates away and they took their drinks over to the big couch in front of the TV. 

The two sat side by side, leaning together gently. Bucky felt warm and relaxed. Rather than put on a TV show or movie, Steve decided to play some music. “Any preference?” he asked. 

“Not particularly. What do you like?” 

Steve smirked. “I think my musical taste is a little out of date.” 

“Try me.” Bucky’s eyes were narrowed in challenge but he was smiling and he turned his body towards Steve, running the back of one hand lazily up and down the outside of his thigh. 

“Jarvis, play my jazz playlist please. Mix ‘em up so they’re not in order. Background volume.” Soft, soothing jazz began playing from speakers in the ceiling. 

“Classic,” Bucky corrected, “Not out of date.” 

“I’m glad you think so. I’m older that most of the music on this playlist,” Steve said. 

“You’re a classic too,” Bucky joked. 

Steve was serious now. “Are you really ok with dating me at my age, Bucky? I’m probably older than your grandparents.”

“You’re hardly elderly, Steve!”

“I don’t feel it, but I was born a long time ago,” he said as if in warning. 

“Have you had enough of me already? You sound like you’re trying to talk me out of it.”

“I want you to be happy, Buck. I’d like that to be with me, but if I’m not right for you then you shouldn’t date me.”

“You make me happy, Steve. If you didn’t I wouldn’t be here. What about me? Should you be dating someone with a metal arm? A man with a metal arm?”

“I’m dating you because you’re you. Nothing to do with you being a man or your arm.” Steve sounded adamant. 

“I didn’t tell you how I lost my arm, did I?” 

Steve shook his head. “You don’t have to, unless you want to.”

“I want you to know me, and it’s an important part of me. I lost an important part of me.” Steve nodded, listening intently. 

“I was 17. When my friend Craig got a car, he took me and a few other friends out and he...got carried away. He was inexperienced and the car was full of teenage boys. He was showing off, and...it all went wrong.” Steve put a hand on Bucky’s knee and squeezed. 

“The car flipped and my arm was crushed. Craig and one of the older boys - my friend’s brother - didn’t survive, but to be honest it was kind of a relief when Craig didn’t make it, because I think the guilt might have killed him anyway. Slowly. And we’d have had to watch. We were really young and really stupid.” He sighed. 

“I don’t remember the crash itself, just feelings really. I remember the pain...and feeling scared. Nothing else until I woke up in the hospital. They’d already had to amputate.”

“I’m really sorry, Bucky. That must have been so hard.” 

“It was difficult, but I’m one of the lucky ones. I got this,” he gestured to his prosthetic, “through a Stark scheme for young unemployed amputees. It’s the sort of technology I could never have afforded on insurance or paying for it myself. It’s still not standard issue even if you have money. Plus that gave me the motivation to train as a mechanic. I owe Tony Stark a lot, even though I’ve never met him.”

Steve smiled, but there was hesitation in his expression. “If you tell Tony that, he will be insufferable. His ego is already overinflated.” Bucky laughed. “Thank you for telling me, Bucky.”

Bucky nodded. “If you want to keep seeing me, you need to know. Thanks to Stark, I can do most things I could before - better in some cases - but it still affects me sometimes. I get nightmares.” Steve’s face was full of understanding. He wanted to be the one who was there for those nightmares, he decided. To soothe Bucky. “I don’t drive. And I’m still a nervous passenger.” 

“You didn’t seem nervous on my bike. Is it better because it’s not enclosed like a car?” 

“It wasn’t the bike, Steve. It was you. I trust you.”

Their eyes met: Bucky’s expression was open and raw and Steve’s expressed both his gratitude and support for the man beside him. 

Fuck he was handsome, Bucky thought. He knelt up and then one leg was over Steve’s, straddling him on the couch. Steve waited, patiently, as if wanting to know what Bucky needed. He looked up at Bucky, waiting, and Bucky answered his unspoken question, kissing Steve with all the force he felt. 

Steve’s arms wrapped round him, pulling him close, and Bucky grasped at him, trying to get still closer. Their lips and tongues moved against each other and Bucky found himself grinding down on Steve, the friction sending electricity through both of them. 

Steve’s hands moved down to Bucky’s muscular thighs, resting there, and then they were at his waist, thumbs running along the warm skin above his waist band. Bucky had one hand in Steve’s hair at the nape of his neck and the other alternately caressing Steve’s chest and using the front of his shirt to pull him in. 

Bucky sounded breathless. “I think you’d better tell me now if you’re going to want me to go home tonight. Before I get carried away.”

In answer, Steve simply stood, taking Bucky with him, lifting him - effortlessly, it seemed - with his hands under his thighs. Bucky swore into Steve’s mouth at just how hot this was. 

They didn’t stop kissing or grappling with each other until Steve sat down on what Bucky assumed was his bed with Bucky in his lap. He broke away for a brief moment, seeing Steve’s bedroom for the first time and lifting his own shirt off over his head. Steve’s hands were instantly on him, running up his arms, over his chest and down his sides while he drank in the sight. Then it was Steve’s turn. Bucky’s hands were smoothing over Steve before his shirt was even fully unbuttoned and Steve laughed at the way their hands tangled as he tried to remove it. 

Bucky kissed Steve down until they were both horizontal and then fumbled at the fastening of his own jeans. Steve kissed his neck, drawing long, low moans from him as he scrabbled to take off his socks. 

Steve’s socks were next, and he too undid the button of his jeans. He lay between Bucky’s legs, one elbow holding his weight. 

“Jeans, Steve,” Bucky instructed. His hands delved into the back of Steve’s jeans and briefs, each one cupping a firm buttock. Steve did as he was told, rolling away to remove them and then helping Bucky with his. 

“You are so beautiful,” Steve murmured to Bucky, his voice sincere and raw. 

“Right back at ya.” Bucky carefully stretched the waistband of Steve’s underwear over and off the intimidating looking, erect bulge there and Steve removed them, kicking them off the bed. Bucky’s didn’t last long either. Steve reached for him, stroking gently and then grasping him, but Bucky got up onto his knees and climbed down Steve, kissing and licking at his chest and abs (those abs!) before he settled back on his haunches to give all his attention to Steve’s dick. 

Bucky had never had any complaints about his size, but Steve’s dick was longer and thicker; had it been attached to any other man, Bucky might have felt intimidated by it, but Steve was so patient and giving that Bucky couldn’t wait to have him in his mouth. He licked and swirled his tongue around the head, running his hands over Steve’s thighs. Steve had been watching, but as Bucky began to work he threw his head back onto the pillow with a groan. 

Spurred on, Bucky licked up his length and then took as much of it into his mouth as he could, using one hand to grip the base and the other to cup Steve’s balls. He began to move his head up and down, his hand following his mouth, and Steve’s moans and groans got louder and louder as he got closer to the edge. 

Steve tried to stay still, he really did, but Bucky was making him feel so good that it was difficult not to wriggle and tense up. “Buck. You’re gonna make me...you have to...stop.” 

Bucky smiled teasingly at him. “Do I?”

“Fuck! Bucky, I don’t want to...I want to make you feel good.” 

“This feels really good, Steve.”

Steve started to sit up and Bucky looked up at him, biting his lip playfully. Steve eased Bucky onto his back, sitting beside him, and started to return the favour. 

Steve wasn’t quite as expert at this as Bucky was - Bucky wondered fleetingly how far his experiences with men had gone - but he was eager to give pleasure and learned quickly from Bucky’s reactions. Before long, Steve had Bucky right where he wanted him: wriggling, moaning and running a hand through Steve’s hair. 

“Steve, can you come up here?” Bucky’s voice was raspy. Steve kissed his way up Bucky’s body and they kissed, hands roaming over each other. “D’ya have lube?” 

Steve shook his head. Bucky smiled as he licked his palm with a flat, wet tongue and gripped Steve’s dick between them. Steve followed his lead. With his right hand gripping Bucky, Steve leaned on his left elbow and stroked Bucky’s cheek with the thumb of his left hand. 

As they got close to release, each watched the other’s face. Mouths close together, their panting breaths mingled and they climbed towards the edge. 

Bucky got there a few seconds before Steve and the sight of Bucky’s silent, open mouthed release helped to send Steve’s crashing through him in waves too. Threads of white sprayed both chests and stomachs, but neither of them could have cared less. Steve collapsed onto his back, stroking Bucky’s thigh, and after a moment to get their breath back Bucky turned to Steve and Steve gathered him into his arms, holding him tight.


	18. The shower after

They lay together like that for quite some time, neither wanting to move. 

“Bucky, I think you have ruined me for anyone else,” Steve groaned, kissing Bucky’s neck and collar bone. 

“Um, excuse me! At least let go of me before you start talking about other people.” Bucky’s mock outrage made Steve laugh. 

“Don’t want to. In fact, I’m not going to. You have to stay here now, because I’m not letting you go.” 

“Suits me,” Bucky mumbled, snuggling into Steve. 

“Sorry about the lack of lube.” Steve sounded embarrassed. 

“S’ok. We managed.” Bucky grinned. 

“I’ll get some.”

“I’ll be invited back then, will I?” 

“I told you, you’re not leaving.” Steve beamed and his arms tightened around Bucky for a moment. 

“Do I take it, from the lack of lube, that you haven’t done this...recently?” Bucky’s question made it obvious he was asking about Steve’s experiences with men. 

“I haven’t dated anyone, not seriously at least, since I came out of the ice. I dated a few women before. I met a few men when I was in the army too, but we had to be careful in those days. There were a few fumbles in the dark, but nothing major.” 

“Luckily for you, I’ve dated a few men in the 21st century. And I think I have a few things to teach you.” Bucky’s grin was sinful. 

“Are you trying to make me jealous? Because, if so, it’s working.” Steve was smiling, but he did look a bit jealous. 

“You’re telling me Captain America is jealous of my ex boyfriends?” 

“What do you think? I want you all to myself.” 

“You have nothing to worry about. I’m all yours.” 

“Right back at ya.”

They kissed again and Steve started to get up, extending a hand to Bucky. “Shower?” 

—————————————————————————

Steve enjoyed their shower almost as much as he had the sex. They each soaped their hands and washed the other, taking their time to rub any remaining tension from muscles and enjoy the contours of each other’s bodies. 

They talked and laughed as they washed, any inhibitions gone. Steve loved the look of bliss on Bucky’s face as Steve worked his soapy fingers into his scalp, shampooing his hair. He wanted to do this all the time, he thought. In return, Bucky soaped Steve’s hair up into a peak and barked a huge laugh at the result. 

Just as Bucky was about to get out, Steve pulled him in for a kiss and they began soaping and stroking each other again, both becoming hard in seconds, with another pair of orgasms following quickly after. They rinsed off and Steve handed Bucky a fluffy towel. 

Dry and exhausted, they climbed back into Steve’s big bed and curled around each other. 

Tiredness made Steve’s voice sound muffled. “I’m a cuddler; hope you don’t mind.” 

“I thought you might be. I don’t mind at all. Although it kind of bothers me that you know that from sleeping with other people.”

“Now who’s jealous?” 

“Now we’re even.” 

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been imagining you in my bed since I first met you.”

“Was I asleep in these daydreams?” 

“In one or two of them. You were conscious in most.”

—————————————————————————

Bucky woke, with his head on Steve’s shoulder, to the sound of Jarvis’ voice in the dark. “Captain, your cell phone is ringing in the lounge. Would you like me to patch it through to you.”

“No, I’ll get it. Shit, sorry, Bucky.”

“S’ok. Um...what’s goin’ on?” 

“It must be important. I’d better take it. Back in a minute.”

Steve carefully eased himself out from under Bucky and dashed out, grabbing his briefs from the floor. Bucky rolled into the warm patch that Steve had left in the bed and pulled the bedclothes tight around him. 

Steve was back in under two minutes. “I have to go to work, Buck. I should be home by morning though. Go back to sleep and with any luck I’ll wake you up.”

“There clearly is no luck if you have to leave, Steve,” Bucky groused. 

Steve sat on the bed next to Bucky. “Believe me, the last thing I want to do is put on that suit and leave. I’d much rather be in there with you,” he nodded to the bed, “but I have to go.”

Bucky kissed his cheek and then snuggled back down, his voice muffled among the bedclothes. “Go hero quickly and then get back in here.”

“Yes sir.”


	19. Boyfriend

The next time Bucky woke up, daylight was filtering through the blinds and the shower was running in the bathroom next door. He smiled and moved over to make room for Steve. 

Steve came in quietly, then beamed when he saw that Bucky was awake. He slipped into the bed and Bucky wrapped himself around him. 

“How did it go?” 

“Straightforward. Boring. I knew I had you in my bed to get back to though, so it wasn’t bad.” 

“Why are you wearing clothes?”

“I’m only wearing underwear.” 

Bucky made a noise of disgust. Steve laughed. “My wish is your command.” Steve kicked his underwear onto the floor once more. 

—————————————————————————

Bucky’s growing excitement as he opened the bags was infectious. “You got the good dumplings!” He was wearing one of Steve’s shirts and the look on his face, coupled with the too-big t-shirt made him seem younger somehow. 

Steve smiled indulgently. “I got the good dumplings. Went to that place you love up town.” 

Bucky handed Steve a plate from the cupboard above the sink, kissed his cheek and started to fill his plate with Chinese food. “You’re too good to me.”

“Only the best for my best guy!”

“Is that what I am?” He smirked. “And there was me thinking I was your only guy.” 

“You are! You’re the only one getting my dumplings, Buck.” 

Bucky wrinkled his nose as he laughed. “That doesn’t sound as romantic as you think, stud!” 

“Yeah,” Steve nodded, his nose wrinkling now too. “Misjudged that one, didn’t I?” 

Bucky put down his plate and turned to Steve. Noticing his more serious expression, Steve put his down too. Bucky planted his hands on the kitchen counter on either side of Steve, kissing him and then drawing back to look at him. “What about ‘boyfriend’?” 

“I like that.”

“Me too, boyfriend.” 

Their smiles were already big, but Bucky suddenly laughed. 

“What’s so funny?”

“I’m Captain America’s boyfriend! That sounds...weird!”

“I like it.”

“Me too! In fact, I love it, but it’s a bit weird.”

“Well, get used to it! I’m hoping to keep you, if you’ll have me.”

—————————————————————————

Bucky’s bed wasn’t as big as Steve’s, and they were both tall, broad men, but if anything Steve preferred staying here. This place felt very Bucky and the smaller bed gave him even more excuse to hold onto Bucky as they slept. 

Plus, Bucky had lube. The first time Bucky had reached for it, Steve had felt like the old man he supposed he was. He knew roughly what men did when they had sex, of course, but he didn’t really know the details. Still, he was sure Bucky would teach him. And he was more than willing to learn. 

But Bucky had other things on his mind. Kneeling between Steve’s legs, he pumped lube onto his hands and rubbed them together to warm it. When he used both hands to clasp Steve’s dick and began to grip up and down, Steve gave a strained groan. Bucky was biting his lower lip and was quite clearly enjoying himself almost as much as Steve. 

Just as Steve thought he was going to cum, writhing and gripping Bucky’s thighs, Bucky slowed almost to a stop. He knelt up to kiss Steve and as their tongues slid against each other, his hands sped up again, making Steve groan straight into his mouth. Bucky kept this up, slowing and then speeding up, taking Steve to the edge and backing down, until Steve’s body could take no more and he exploded into a long orgasm that shot sensation down his arms and legs and made him buck in Bucky’s hands. 

Steve was breathless and incoherent for a good 30 seconds. Bucky lay down next to him, satisfied too in his own way, and tucked in under his right arm. 

Steve looked at him, a little awe struck, and Bucky stroked his chest and his left arm soothingly. “As soon as I’m...with it again, I’m trying that on you!” 

Bucky laughed. “Sounds good to me!”

“I’m sorry I’m so new to all this. It’s not fair on you.”

“Steve, don’t you dare try and take the fun out of this! I’m enjoying every minute.” His scolding was tongue-in-cheek. 

“You deserve someone who knows what they’re doing.” 

“The way we’re going, you’ll be an expert before long. Plus, I really like getting to see you try new things.”

“I don’t know anything about some if it.”

“Are you worried about something?” Bucky’s expression was kind. 

“I mean, yeah...I have been thinking about some stuff I haven’t done...”

“Are you worried about anal sex, Steve?” Bucky carried on stroking soothing shapes on Steve’s skin. 

Steve rubbed at his temple anxiously. “I couldn’t even say the words to you, Buck.” 

“If and when you want to try it, we will do. If not, we’ll carry on as we are.”

“There are probably all these terms for it now, and things everyone knows, and I have no clue.”

Steve needed to get out of his own head, Bucky realised, and think of discovering new things as sexy rather than thinking of himself as a burden because of the things he didn’t know. “I’ll teach you. It’ll be fun.”

Bucky climbed over Steve to tuck under his left arm, picked up the lube, pumped some into Steve’s right hand, ignoring Steve’s look of confusion, and guided that hand down to his dick. Steve caught on pretty quickly, starting to grip and stroke Bucky. 

“So, whoever ‘gives,’” Bucky raised his eyebrows suggestively, “is the ‘top’ and the person who they penetrate is known as the ‘bottom’, although, of course the bottom can be physically on top when they have sex.” Steve visibly swallowed, eyes flitting from his hand on Bucky’s now very hard dick to his face. “Some people prefer to top, some people prefer to bottom.”

“What about you?” Steve asked, hoarse. 

“I’ve done both,” Bucky said with a smile, “and both are fun, but I prefer to bottom. Plus, it feels so good to be the little spoon with you, Steve. With you being so big and strong.” Bucky let out a moan and his eyes roved over Steve’s muscular chest and arms and then looked into his eyes. “I have had more than a few fantasies about you fucking me.” Steve’s breathing sounded shaky. 

“We’d use lots of lube, and we’d both have to be really relaxed and turned on for it to be good. It takes a bit of time to get there, with lots of kissing,” he reached over to kiss Steve, who ducked his head to respond eagerly, “and touching. I’d need to be ready for you. If we find the right angle, you might hit my prostate, which feels...” Bucky moaned as Steve’s hand sped up. “...which feels amazing. What do you think?”

“I think you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” 

Bucky’s eyes closed and he tensed, his knees raising slightly as his abdomen clenched. “You’re going to make me cum!” 

Steve rolled towards Bucky, who now lay flat on his back, and Steve kissed his mouth, jaw and neck as he sped up the movements of his hand. Bucky cried out as he came and lay panting, feeling boneless.


	20. The Movies and a nightmare

Divide and conquer would be their strategy for the movies, Bucky had decided. He had sent Steve off to get popcorn and drinks while he waited in line for the tickets. Bucky picked their seats, paid and turned to find Steve. 

Steve was waving at someone from near the refreshment counter. Bucky followed Steve’s line of sight until he saw a boy in a wheelchair, waving and looking a little star-stuck, from the other side of the room. The little boy, who couldn’t have been more than about 6, was grabbing at his mother’s sleeve now, clearly telling her that he had spotted Captain America in line for popcorn and trying to manoeuvre through the crowd to get to him. They weren’t getting snacks, Bucky thought with a smile. 

As he’d suspected, he watched as Steve left the line and walked over to the boy and his mom. He shook hands with both and then the boy gestured to his mom’s cell phone, wanting a picture with Cap. Steve looked around, meeting Bucky’s eye, and beckoned to him. 

“Do you want Bucky be in the picture too?” he heard Steve ask as he got closer. Steve was pointing him out. “He’s really cool; he has a metal arm!” 

The boy looked amazed. “Wow! Yeah!” Bucky introduced himself to the boy’s mom, who looked close to grateful tears, and then settled himself on the boy’s other side. 

“This is Ellis,” said Steve. “He has a cool chair.” 

“Hi Ellis. I like the purple,” Bucky said, looking at the spokes of Ellis’ chair. 

Ellis only had eyes for Bucky’s prosthetic arm now, and was looking at the bicep that had been sculpted to match his right one. “Is it strong?”

“Yeah! It’s much stronger than my other arm,” said Bucky, truthfully. “I work in a garage and I can lift a car with my left hand.”

“Maybe one day, I’ll have legs like that!”

“Maybe,” nodded Bucky, “but I’d keep the chair. Girls really like a cool set of wheels,” he stage whispered. 

————————————————————————

“Fuck, Steve! You’re getting so good at this!” Bucky sounded wrecked and Steve smiled proudly, even with his mouth full. Bucky gripped the sheets either side of Steve’s head and his heels fought for purchase on the mattress. 

“I’m...oh...oh...” Bucky panted and Steve waited, excited, for the moment when Bucky would feel as good as he so often made Steve feel. Bucky came with a long, drawn out grunt that lasted as long as his spurting release in Steve’s mouth. 

As Steve swallowed, all of Bucky’s muscles seemed to loosen and he sank back into the bed, letting out a hum of pure, relaxed pleasure. 

Steve was next to him then, licking his lips, and he gathered Bucky up into his arms as though he weighed nothing and tucked him under his chin. Bucky continued to hum as Steve began stroking the long muscles of his back and arms with gentle fingertips. 

Bucky’s voice was sluggish. “Where did you come from, Steve? And what did I do to deserve you? You’re too good to be true.”

Steve huffed a laugh. “You’re joking, right? I spend my confused, queer youth hiding it, get woken up decades into a terrifying future, drift about lost and then stumble across you at the gym. Never in a million lifetimes did I think I’d have someone like you, Buck.” 

“You might have to repeat all that to me later, when my brain is up and running again. S’not working right now. Think you killed me.”

Steve chuckled. “Sorry.”

“S’alright. Was a good way to go.”

—————————————————————————

The first few seconds were disorientating and Steve lay in the dark, blinking and trying to work out what was happening. 

Then the bed shook and Steve realised this was what had woken him. Bucky gave a horrible choked sob beside him. 

Steve sat up and leaned over to Bucky. His face was screwed up in fear and his arms and legs were moving in jerks and twitches. Steve’s heart broke a little bit more each split second it went on. He didn’t know if waking someone who was having a nightmare was the right thing to do, but he couldn’t watch Bucky suffer like this. 

Bucky’s dream was a dark, confusing soup of images and feelings. Blood and lifeless faces, the terror of being trapped, pain, then helplessness...and then he surfaced, wrapped tightly in strong arms with gentle kisses being pressed to his forehead and face and Steve’s voice a comforting murmur. 

When Bucky gave one last jerk, stilling and then gripping on to his bicep, Steve was flooded with relief. “Hey. You’re alright, Buck. You had a nightmare.”

“Sorry,” Bucky croaked out. He was clinging to Steve, his heart was racing and his breathing was too fast. 

“What are you sorry for?”

“Waking you. Probably freaking you out?”

“I’m glad I woke up. I wouldn’t want you to do that on your own. Was it the crash?”

“Yeah. Nothing clear, but...bad. In the dreams, it feels like drowning.” 

“Should we put the light on?”

“No, I’m fine. You should go back to sleep.”

“I will soon enough. Do you want to talk about it?”

“There’s not much to say. It was just flashes of things. Images and feelings.”

“How can I help you feel better?”

“You already are. You have.” Bucky tucked his face into Steve’s neck, glad as he so often was for Steve’s bulk and the always gentle way he handled himself. Steve pulled him in even closer and stroked his hair. 

When Bucky’s side of their short conversation became mumbled and his breaths became slow and easy, Steve kissed his boyfriend’s temple one last time and then lay there listening. Not until Bucky’s heart rate and breathing gave the tell-tale clues that he was peacefully asleep did Steve allow himself to drift off, Bucky safe in his arms


	21. Pride

Steve smiled fondly as Bucky pinched his left buttock on his way into the lounge. He followed him to the couch and just managed to pinch his butt in return before he turned to sit. Bucky grinned and swiped at him, trying not to make any obvious noises that would give him away to Ella on the other end of the line. 

“No, the one with the red hair. I think Kenny’s a bit smitten. Paul didn’t seem interested in her friend.” He sat and paused as Ella spoke. “Um, I don’t know this year. I hope so. What date is it?” Steve went into Bucky’s little kitchen to make tea. 

By the time he’d put the tea on the coffee table, Bucky was hanging up. “Yeah, see you Monday. Bye.” He put his cell phone on the arm of the couch and pulled Steve down to rest his head in his lap. He carded his fingers through Steve’s hair, making his eyes close lazily. 

“Ella wants to know if I’m going to pride again this year. To watch the parade. She came with me last time and we had a really good day.”

“You want to?”

“Yeah, but things are a bit different this year.” 

Steve looked up at him, puzzled. “You mean me?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’d like us to go together...”

“I’d like that!” Steve smiled softly. 

“...but it’s real public, Steve. It wouldn’t exactly be subtle. There are always loads of camera crews.”

“And..?” Steve teased. 

“Are you ready for that?” 

Steve thought for a beat. “How do you feel about being known as my boyfriend? It’s not always easy being recognised.”

“Hmm...” Bucky mused exaggeratedly, gripping his own chin between a curled pointer finger and thumb. “Let me see. Well, Steve-Captain-America-Rogers sucks my dick. If it wasn’t for the cost and your reputation, I’d have employed a sign writer by now to tell the world!”

Steve sat up, grabbing for Bucky, who squirmed and laughed. “You’re filthy, Buck.” 

“That’s why you like me.” 

“That’s one of many reasons why I like you,” he corrected with a smirk. “If you don’t mind it being public, how about really public?”

—————————————————————————

It was really easy to forget just how old Steve was (chronologically, at least), and how important and influential he was when he got this excited about something. It gave Bucky an idea of what he must have been like as an eager teen, and Bucky treasured that. 

“You’ll love them, honestly. Actually, maybe not at first, but they grow on you.” 

“The Avengers are important to you, Steve, and that makes them important to me. I’d love to meet them.” 

Steve looked delighted. “Great! I’ll set something up!”

“You’ve met Nat, and Clint’s so laid back he’s horizontal. Bruce is a sweet guy, you know...when he’s not...green. And Thor is really looking forward to meeting you. Sam is real smart and he’ll be on his best behaviour. Tony won’t be, but you’ll get used to him.”

Bucky smiled at Steve’s sheer enthusiasm.


	22. The Team

“How do the rest of the team feel about this? It’s not just you and Bucky to think about, Captain.” 

Steve grinned, his confidence wiping the tight but smug smile from Anderson’s face. “I realise that. They’re almost as excited about it as me. I think we might have to rein Tony in a bit, but what’s new there?” 

“I see. Well, I have to warn you that this might backfire. People won’t like it.”

“Some people won’t, no, but those are the people whose opinions don’t matter to me. And unless they start refusing to be saved in emergencies by a bisexual Avenger - and I very much doubt they will - it really won’t matter, will it?”

“I know my job, Steve. This isn’t good PR.”

“It’s what’s right, and that’s what the Avengers do. It’s what we’re here for.” Steve stood, making it clear that this was the end of the conversation. He’d made up his mind. 

“Well, I’ll arrange somewhere for you to watch and then let you know...”

“No need,” Steve interrupted. “We’re making arrangements. In fact, I think Tony is on it as we speak.”

“You didn’t feel we needed to have this conversation first, before you acted?” Anderson was clearly feeling put out. 

“I’m here to tell you, not to ask.” His hand was on the door handle. “I got my team members’ input and Bucky’s and that was what mattered. Nice to see you again, Anderson.” The smirk Steve gave him as he left made Anderson grind his teeth. 

—————————————————————————

“M’lady!” Tony passed Nat’s vodka down the bar to her and she nodded her thanks. Her walk to the table where the others sat was fluid and graceful. 

“...and a green one for the greenie.” The lurid green concoction was clearly not what Bruce had asked for and Tony (and only Tony, Bucky noticed) seemed to find his little joke hilarious. 

Bruce sighed. “He’s the one with all the money but he can never just get me a drink.” His walk to the table was more of a sulk and encumbered by a very full, very sticky glass of green goo. “Who wants this...thing?” 

Steve shook his head in exasperation and stepped away to order what Bruce had actually wanted to drink, leaving Bucky with Tony for a moment. 

“How you liking the arm, Barnes? Working for you?” 

“Actually, I wanted to speak to you about that.”

“Oh yeah? You need an upgrade?”

“No, it works great. Better than my other arm actually. I wanted to thank you. In person. I wrote to you after I had it fitted, but you must get tons of mail.”

“You’re welcome. You know, I might be able to offer you something even better. I’ve been working on...”

“No!” Steve interrupted him as he returned. He turned back to Bucky, Bruce’s drink in hand. “Do not trust him when he gets that look in his eye.” His face was stern despite the way his lips turned up a little. “Bucky is perfect the way he is and he doesn’t need any...rocket launchers...or jet packs in his arm.”

Bucky felt glad of the interruption. It would have been difficult to turn down whatever Stark had been working on without seeming ungrateful. “Yeah. It’s difficult enough getting through security at the airport as it is,” he joked. 

—————————————————————————

With Steve in the restroom, Bucky sought out Natasha, heading towards her as she stood with Sam at the jukebox. 

“Hey.” Sam turned to acknowledge Bucky and they nodded politely at one another. 

“Hey,” Nat replied. She hadn’t taken her eyes from the list of songs she was scrolling through. 

“I wanted to thank you. For calling...and for everything you did...when Steve was hurt. It meant a lot.”

She turned to him. “No problem. Steve’s a great guy. And a good friend.” She was smiling, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

Bucky grinned. “Is this where you give me the shovel talk?” He sighed, his smile cautious but warm. “Because I’m not going to hurt him.” 

“We know that, man,” said Sam. “You seem happy together.”

The look Nat gave him was unsettling, as though she was sizing him up. “I wouldn’t need a shovel.”

“I know,” he said, ducking his head and smiling, “and that’s why I’m glad you’re in Steve’s corner.” Nat nodded. Her smile was more of a smirk now, but it lit her whole face. 

—————————————————————————

Clint slid into the booth next to Bucky. “Hey, lovebirds!” Bucky rolled his eyes, smiling. Steve beamed at Bucky and Clint teasing each other. It looked like they were going to be friends. 

“There’s a shoot ‘em up game over there. Fancy a go?” 

Steve shook his head. “No thanks.”

“I’ll give you a game,” Bucky told Clint. He leaned over the table to kiss Steve and then walked away with Clint, who ran, racing him to the machine to get a head start. He was such a child sometimes! They started to play and before long were laughing and shouting like they’d known each other for years. It looked like Bucky was giving Clint a run for his money. 

“I like him, and he’s good for you.” Nat was still the only person who could sneak up on Steve, super soldier hearing or no. 

He turned to her. “High praise indeed!”

She smirked, then her expression softened. “It’s good to see you happy, Steve. Enjoy it.” He nodded as she made her way across the room to stand with Bruce and Thor. 

What Steve had with Bucky was so precious, he thought. Bucky was smart, talented, complicated and beautiful. He had awoken feelings in Steve that he hadn’t felt since Peggy. 

For the first time, he really allowed himself to think about how fragile the relationship was: they hadn’t been together long and Bucky was young. 

He turned to look for his boyfriend and found him at the bar with Clint, both downing shots and creasing up in laughter. His stomach did a little roll. Clint was young. Alcohol affected him, unlike Steve (it was only natural that Bucky would want to get drunk sometimes, wasn’t it? Steve couldn’t do that with him.) and Clint didn’t have Steve’s past. Plus, Clint would get old at the same rate as Bucky. Who knew how Steve would age. Shouldn’t Bucky be with someone like Clint? Fear and guilt tangled together to form a vicious barb that jabbed at his conscience. 

Steve mentally shook himself and got up to join Thor, Bruce and Nat at the bar. There was no use second guessing himself. 

—————————————————————————

They stayed at Steve’s that night. Bucky came back from the bathroom a little cold and Steve rubbed his arms to warm him as he climbed into bed and tangled their legs together, pressing his warm feet to Bucky’s cold ones. 

“I had a real good time tonight,” Bucky said, cuddling in. 

“You meeting those guys was like you meeting my family. Thank you. It means a lot.” Steve gave him a quick squeeze. 

“They’re great, Steve.” 

“Even Tony?” 

Bucky smirked. “Even Tony.”

“How about your family?” 

“Would you want to meet them? Well, just Becca really. I don’t speak to my parents much and I haven’t seen them in years.”

“I’d love to meet your sister.” He paused. “Do you want to see your mom and dad?” 

“No, it’s my choice not to have much to do with them. They threw me out when I was 16.” 

“That’s awful. I’m sorry.”

“Mom likes to call every so often and pretend like it didn’t happen, but I just can’t forgive her or dad. They caught me kissing a boy from our neighbourhood,” he explained. He sighed. “Dad lost it and Mom sat back and did nothing as he gave me an hour to get my stuff and get out.”

“They don’t deserve you,” Steve told him quietly; he really meant it. 

Bucky nodded sadly. “Becca’s more than enough family for me. She’s worth 10 of them.”

“You and Clint seemed to get on well.”

“Yeah! He’s so...spontaneous, isn’t he?” 

“In a bar, sure. He’s more measured in the field. More cautious.”

“I should hope so,” Bucky laughed. “He kept making stupid noises and telling terrible jokes to try and put me off when we played that game. And he sure can put his tequila away!” 

“He might regret that tomorrow.”

Bucky grinned. “Yup! Out of interest, I know alcohol doesn’t really affect you like it does me, but does that mean no amount of anything could get you drunk?”

Steve shrugged. “My body processes it faster than I can drink it.” He smiled at Bucky. “Why? You trying to get me drunk?”

“How else can I have my wicked way with you?” 

Steve leaned in to kiss him. “Asking has worked well so far.”


	23. The Green Eyed Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I kept you waiting so long for this, folks! Life just kind of got in the way. It’s going to get a little angsty, but it gets better, I promise. Thank you to those who have subscribed and welcome to anyone new. I REALLY appreciate comments and Kudos.

They were finishing dinner when Bucky’s cell phone chimed from across the room. He turned his head at the sound, then turned back to Steve to answer his question. 

“No, I don’t think the garage need me this weekend. You wanna do something?”

“Always!” Steve was beaming. He was such a sap, Bucky thought. His smile mirrored Steve’s. “Maybe we could go and catch that movie we liked the sound of?”

“Yeah, sure. Are you on an early shift tomorrow?”

Steve took the plates away and Bucky got up to look at his messages. “Um...yeah. At least that...means I...uhh...I finish early.”

Steve ducked out of the kitchen and into the lounge again at the distracted tone in Bucky’s voice. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah, just Clint.”

“Clint?” Steve hadn’t known they’d swapped numbers. 

“Yeah, he says there’s something on BBC America I should watch later.” Bucky tapped out a quick reply and then sat on the couch. Steve joined him. 

“I was asking him about shooting the other night after he’d finished practising and apparently the sniper that’s on this TV special that he says I should watch is the best of the best.” 

Steve suddenly felt a green-eyed monster tug at his sleeve. Clint had been showing off to Bucky about his accuracy in target shooting. No, Steve corrected himself. Bucky had asked Clint about it because it interested him. Didn’t he want Bucky to be friends with his friends? “What channel number is BBC America?” 

——————————————————————————

“Hey, Buck.”

“Hey, you!” 

“You still coming over later?” 

“Try and stop me!” Bucky smirked down the phone; he could practically hear the warm smile that was bound to be decorating Steve’s face. “When do you want me?”

“All the time.” Yep. He was definitely smiling, Bucky thought, beaming himself. “I’ve got that debrief and then I’m going to go for a run, so why don’t you come over when you finish work and Jarvis will let you in. Make yourself at home - get comfortable - and I’ll be home as soon as I can. 

“So I can make you...’comfortable’?” Bucky was practically purring. 

“Sounds good to me.”

The conversation, although brief, had been just what Steve had needed before his meeting. Fury would doubtless be ruthless at the debrief and Steve’s nerves were already a bit frayed from worrying about his and Bucky’s future. 

One of many niggling thoughts that kept repeating was whether he was right for Bucky. And did Bucky think Steve was right for him? Was there something that Bucky was missing in his relationship with Steve? Something that he might need someone else to provide? Steve shuddered at the thought. 

He wanted to wrap himself in Bucky’s smell, feel Bucky’s skin and hold him as close as possible. More than anything, he was looking forward to having Bucky to himself that night. 

—————————————-

Steve heard Bucky as he opened his front door. “Hey, Stevie! How was your run?” He smiled, heading towards him. 

“Good! I met that old fella again. The one who...” Steve’s voice trailed off. “Oh! Hi, Clint.”

Clint was lolling in Steve’s usual seat, a beer in his hand and an easy smile on his face. He nodded at Steve in greeting. 

“Clint came looking for you,” Bucky explained. 

“I came to see if you wanted to spar, bud,” Clint finished for him. “When you weren’t here Bucky said he’d have a drink with me. Nat’ll kick my ass tomorrow instead if I ask nicely.” 

“Yeah. Sure she will.” Steve sounded distracted. Bucky’s brow creased and he got up to follow Steve, who was headed towards his bedroom, presumably to change. 

“You OK?” 

When Steve answered, rifling in a draw and not bothering to even turn his head, his voice sounded flat. “Yeah, Buck.” 

Bucky paused. “Really? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! I just...thought we’d be spending tonight together.”

“Aren’t we? I wasn’t going to go anywhere.”

“You know what I mean, Bucky. Just the two of us.”

“Clint won’t be here long.” Bucky moved to put his arms round Steve, his voice becoming low. “Then I get you all to myself.” 

Steve didn’t linger to let Bucky hold him as he normally would. “I’m sweaty.” Taking the clothes he’d gathered, he headed to the bathroom for a shower. 

——————————

As Bucky waved Clint off at the door, Steve leaned on the wall behind. “See ya, Cap!” Clint called, and Steve nodded in acknowledgment. 

The elevator door hadn’t even closed before Bucky was facing him. “What was that?”

“What was what?” 

“Don’t bullshit me, Steve. Why were you so off with Clint? He’s your friend, he was in your apartment and it felt like you ignored him the whole time he was here.”

“I’m tired.” Bucky looked incredulous. “It seemed like he was here to see you, anyway. Not me.”

Bucky looked disbelieving. “What?! Is that what this is? Are you jealous?!”

Steve swallowed and his face flushed, but the flat look on his face stayed put. “I’m tired, Buck.” 

“I’ve never seen you so tired that you’re irrational!”

“I’m not irrational.” Bucky huffed a skeptical laugh and Steve breathed annoyance out through both nostrils. “I’m not! I come home, thinking we’re going to spend time together and find you drinking with someone else.” 

“Having a drink with your friend, Steve.” 

“That makes it worse, not better.”

Bucky snapped. “Right! Message received.” Starting to hastily gather his things, he realised that he was wearing Steve’s hoodie and began to strip it off. He threw it on a couch cushion and headed for the door, angrily shoving his arms into his own jacket. 

“Where are you going?” 

“Home!”

The door slammed and Steve threw himself down on the nearest couch with a huff. 

——————————————————————————

Steve stomped, grunted and generally wallowed in his anger for around half an hour before reality began to dawn. He’d gotten stupidly jealous - Bucky was right; he had been irrational - and he might just have ruined the best thing that had ever happened to him. He had been so frightened of losing Bucky that he’d pushed him away. 

He leapt to his feet and ran.


	24. Anything but Pizza

The knock on Bucky’s door was tentative, but Steve’s voice sounded clear even through the woodwork. “Bucky? Can we talk? I know you might not want to see me, but I couldn’t leave things without saying how sorry I am.”

Bucky sighed. He was going to need to speak to his neighbours about them letting people in the front door, national heroes included. He paused, strode to the door and then wrenched it open, glaring at Steve. 

Steve swallowed. “Hey.”

Bucky didn’t speak, but he left the door open for Steve to come in as he walked back into his lounge and stood with his arms crossed. 

Steve felt the least like a super soldier he had ever felt. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have just trusted you, Buck. I do trust you.” Bucky listened, unmoving, until Steve had finished. “Even if you did like someone else, I know better than to think you’d...do anything about it.”

Bucky exhaled audibly. “For the record, I have no interest in anyone else. But neither do I want a possessive, controlling boyfriend. I’ve been there before and I’m not going there again.” His voice was firm. Resolute. 

Those words filled Steve with horror. Had he been possessive and controlling? He hadn’t said it, but he had wanted Bucky not to see one of his friends. His face paled. The thought of an ex boyfriend trying to control Bucky made his blood boil, but Steve had done it too. He was just as bad! 

“You have to know, Steve. I won’t live like that.”

“No, you shouldn’t. Nobody has the right to treat you like that, Buck. You shouldn’t be with someone who hurts you.” Steve’s voice sounded small, even to his own ears. He was going to have to leave Bucky alone. To let him move on. Be with someone who would treat him right. 

Bucky saw it in Steve’s face. Saw the clouds of doubt and self-loathing draw in. “Don’t you dare make this decision for me, Steve! I can tell what you’re thinking, but if you think I’m going to allow you to either tell me what to do or to end this relationship because you think you know what’s best for me better than I do, you’ve got another thing coming!” Bucky was mad - alternately gesturing with a pointed finger and running his hands through his hair - and Steve was temporarily awestruck. This pissed off Bucky was intimidating. “If you don’t want to be with me, you break it off. Other than that, you leave my decision on whether I should be with you to me.”

“You’re right; of course you are. It’s up to you to decide whether I’m right for you.” Steve sighed, rubbing a big hand over his face. “If you decide you want to be with me, I won’t let my stupid jealousy get in the way again.” He gave Bucky a wobbly smile and turned to go. 

“Where are you going?” Bucky’s tone was exasperated but his voice was soft. Steve turned to find Bucky right behind him. 

“Do you want me to stay?”

“Yes. I want you to stay. I don’t need to decide, Steve. I already know I want to be with you.”

There were tears in Steve’s eyes. “I’m so sorry I got jealous, Buck.” He reached out slowly and stroked a thumb over Bucky’s cheekbone and then kissed his other cheek tenderly.

Bucky stepped forward and reached out to hold Steve’s hips. “You’re allowed to feel jealous, Steve. But tell me. Please? Although, I really don’t get how you could be jealous of Barton of all people.” Bucky huffed a laugh that said just how ridiculous he felt it was. “He’s a slob. A straight slob at that. And a big kid! He only ever eats pizza. I mean, he’s a great guy, in his way - a good friend potentially - but I don’t want to think about him naked. Urgh!”

Steve laughed at Bucky’s comic distaste, then his features slackened into a more serious expression. “It wasn’t logical or sensible. The way I feel about you isn’t just logic, Bucky.” 

No, Steve thought to himself. This wasn’t the right time to tell Bucky that he loved him. Love wasn’t an excuse for poor behaviour and he didn’t want to announce his feelings as a way to make up or make Bucky feel better. 

“I saw you with Clint and it...it frightened me. He’s your age and you were getting on so well...” He sighed again. “I panicked. I thought I was going to lose you.” 

“And so you pushed me away?” Bucky’s expression was soft. 

“Smart, huh?” Steve was so relieved that Bucky forgave him. He wouldn’t hurt him like this again. He really was sorry. 

“Sit.” Bucky’s voice was still firm, but he was smiling. Steve smiled too, doing as he was told. “Chinese or Thai food?” Bucky asked. 

“Anything but pizza.”


	25. Grateful

Steve had felt grateful for Bucky since they had first started going out, but since they had recovered from their first proper fight he found himself thinking about how lucky he was even more often. 

Bucky glanced at Steve across the kitchen and couldn’t help laughing. “What, Steve? You’re pulling that face again!” 

“Sorry, I can’t help it. I was just thinking about what a lucky man I am.” He pulled Bucky to him. 

“Damn right!” Bucky joked, putting down the bread he’d been cutting and winding his arms around Steve. 

They shared a slow, building kiss that made Bucky feel a little light-headed. When their lips parted, they were still close enough that Bucky could feel Steve’s breath on his lips. “Are you hungry right now?” Steve asked. 

“I bet YOU are!”

“I’m always hungry, but I want you more.”

“Well then, I could definitely wait for dinner.”

Bucky had hardly finished his sentence before Steve was kissing him again and walking them out of the kitchen, guiding Bucky backwards and towards Steve’s bedroom. 

Their clothes were shed even before they reached the bed, flung over shoulders and kicked off onto the floor, and they landed on the mattress locked in a passionate kiss. Steve climbed on top of him, legs fitting into the space between Bucky’s open legs and leaning his weight on his arms, and then stopped, looking down at him. 

“I got lube,” he said, looking a little uncertain.

Bucky’s smile was wicked. “Really? That’s interesting! And what are we going to do with it?”

Steve’s expression was still serious. “Do you mind if I try something?” 

Bucky looked really pleased. “Anything.”

Steve rummaged in a draw, taking out the lube - a very large bottle, Bucky was amused to see - and put it on the bed next to him. He looked nervous and Bucky gazed at him adoringly as Steve sat back, dragging his hands over Bucky’s chest and stomach in a light caress and ending up down by his thighs, kissing and stroking them. He moaned as Steve licked up the length of his dick. 

Steve felt a little less awkward now, confident that he could make Bucky feel good with his mouth. This was familiar territory. He wet his lips, held them together softly and pressed the head of Bucky’s dick against them and into his mouth. He sank as much of Bucky into him as he could and sucked as he drew back up, using his hand to extend the reach of his mouth. He carried on like this for a few minutes; the pleasure was building if Bucky’s groans and wriggling were anything to go by. 

Bucky had almost forgotten that Steve had said he wanted to try something new. Lost in the pleasure of a blow-job from Steve, he didn’t register the noise of the bottle of lube being opened until the fingers of Steve’s right hand were gently caressing him behind his balls. He let out an encouraging noise. 

Steve ran the flat of his thumb from Bucky’s perineum down to his hole, gently circling and spreading lube when he got there. This was a new thing to experience with Steve, and together with his mouth on him, Bucky felt as thought he might come then and there. He held back, panting and gripping the pillows on either side of his head. 

Steve circled again, pressing a little at the puckered entrance, and Bucky moaned in pleasure. Steve switched fingers, circling and pressing gently with his well lubricated middle finger this time. “Please, Steve!” Bucky sounded desperate for him to continue. 

He had been anxious not to hurt Bucky, and Steve was relieved that he seemed to be enjoying this. It gave him the confidence to keep going, pushing his finger in gently. He had to stop blowing Bucky to get more lube, but once he’d added it and gently moved his finger inside him to distribute it, Steve brought his mouth back down and Bucky let out a deep, guttural moan. 

Steve pressed in further and then crooked his finger upwards, pressing on Bucky’s inner wall. He moved the pad of his finger up and down until Bucky reacted - his back arching and his hands clenching. 

Now that Steve knew where to press, he really started to enjoy himself. Bucky writhed and jerked as Steve timed sweeps of stimulation to Bucky’s prostate with deep sucking motions and flicks of his tongue. Steve added another finger and Bucky panted at the sensation. 

There was only so long that Bucky’s body could withstand that kind of pleasure without an orgasm, and Bucky felt it building quickly. There was no time to warn Steve; he barely had time to close his eyes and hold tight to the pillows before he heard himself let out a loud, strained “Aaaargh!” and he was hit with a wave of pleasure that rolled through him. 

Bucky was speechless and grinning like an idiot when Steve came to lie next to him. He kissed Steve’s cheek as he came round. “Have you really never done that before?” 

“No.”

“Well, you’re a natural talent.” 

“Thank goodness for Google. And private browsing mode.” Steve winked.


	26. Love and Stress

Bucky had started by tidying his apartment but had suddenly panicked about what he was going to wear and had stopped sorting and organising to make what was now a giant mess. Clothes hung from the tops of the doors and the backs of chairs and littered most of the surfaces. 

On the plus side, he had made his decision. He laid his carefully chosen clothes out for after his shower and started to tidy up. 

Bucky had gone to a lot of effort and he wanted tonight to be perfect. The ingredients for his paella were prepared, ready to go in the pan at just the right moment, the wine was chilling and in a few minutes his apartment would look the part again. 

He showered, put on his tightest black jeans and the fitted grey t-shirt that always made Steve ogle him and quickly teased his hair into place with his fingers. He sprayed on his favourite scent and went out into the lounge to light some candles and plump the cushions. He set the table too and then went into the kitchen to start the cooking. 

As usual, Steve was right on time. “Mmmm...that smells amazing!”

“Thanks! Sit and I’ll get you a glass of wine.”

Steve thought Bucky seemed a little jumpy. He hoped he hadn’t done anything to upset him. He trawled his memory, but when Bucky had left his place this morning he’d been in a great mood. 

“You ok, Bucky?”

“Yep. Why wouldn’t I be?” Now he sounded positively stressed. Bucky’s heart rate was elevated too. Steve could hear it. 

Steve’s brow was furrowed as he took Bucky’s hands in his and looked into his face. “You’re worrying me. Should I be worried?” 

Bucky smiled and looked up to the ceiling as he did when he got frustrated, usually with himself. “No. It’s meant to be the opposite.”

Steve was confused. “What is? You’ve lost me, Buck.”

Bucky took a deep breath. “Nothing bad has happened and I’m fine. I promise. I want to tell you all about it, but over dinner. Is that ok?” 

“Yeah, sure. As long as you’re ok?” 

Bucky’s smile was a full one, his eyes smiling too and Steve relaxed a little. “I promise.”

They ate steaming bowls of paella, Bucky bringing a salad and lemon wedges to the table too, and they talked about Bucky’s colleagues at the garage and what Bruce and Tony were working on and what Thor had been doing to annoy Nat today. When they’d finished, Bucky looked serious. 

“Steve, I wanted to make tonight special...I want to talk to you.” Bucky looked nervous and Steve felt a brief flutter of panic. It must have showed in his face. “Shit - that’s not the effect I’m meant to be having on you, Steve.” Bucky screwed up his face and pressed the heel of one hand to his forehead. “I’m not doing this right. I haven’t done this before.” 

Steve wanted to help - seeing Bucky so lost was awful - but he felt even more at sea. “I’m sorry, Bucky, I...” His mouth moved a little more but no words came out.

A look of grim determination flashed across Bucky’s face. “Steve, I love you. I’m sorry.”

There was a pregnant pause. A fairly heavily pregnant pause. Bucky grabbed the empty bowls and took them into the kitchen, dumping the crockery and leaning on the counter with his head low. Steve followed. 

“You’re sorry that you love me?”

“No! I...”

“Is this what you’ve been worried about?”

“Yes. I didn’t want to fuck this up. And now I have. I just wanted you to know how I felt.”

“Bucky, could you turn around? Please?”

He turned and found that Steve was smiling. “Don’t laugh at me Steve. It’s not funny.”

“It’s not funny, no. It’s..fantastic. It’s amazing.” Steve gathered Bucky up in his arms and rested their foreheads together. “I love you, Bucky.”

“Even though I’m a fuck up?”

“You’re definitely not a fuck up. You made a delicious dinner, the wine’s great, you wore that t-shirt...” Steve waggled his eyebrows playfully, “...and you love me. That is perfect.” 

“I planned more too, but you need to be wearing fewer clothes for that bit.” 

“Did I mention that I love you, Bucky?”

—————————————————————————

As they waited in a restaurant in Chelsea, Steve’s knee bounced up and down, his nerves getting the better of him, and Bucky placed a calming hand on his leg. Bucky’s sister Becca was in the city for the day so they’d arranged to meet her for lunch. “She’ll love you Steve,” he tried to reassure him. “Speak of the devil!”

Bucky got up out of his chair and rushed to the door to greet Becca, the smile on his face so sudden and huge that Steve ached a little bit; family occasions like this made him miss his mom. 

Steve stood, ever polite, and Bucky brought her to their table, his arm around her, and introduced them. Steve was going to shake Becca’s hand, but she got there first and wrapped her arms around him. “Lovely to meet you Steve. I’ve heard a lot about you. Some of it from Bucky, some of it on the news.” She winked and Steve’s cheeks coloured just a bit. 

“Bucky’s told me a lot about you,” Steve said politely. 

Becca was thoroughly enjoying herself now that she’d made Steve blush. “You were so right,” she said to her brother loudly as she sat. “He’s even better looking in person.” 

“Alright, trouble,” Bucky laughed. “I really like this one and you are not scaring him away! Stop making Steve uncomfortable.”

“Sorry! Sorry. I’ll be good.” 

“Ha! I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Steve smiled, glad to see Bucky so happy. “Bucky tells me you’re an artist, Becca?” 

“Yeah, well tattoo artist mainly. But I like pencil drawing too.”

“I always liked charcoal,” Steve said. 

“How did I not know that about you?” Bucky’s eyes were wide. 

“I haven’t done any drawing or painting in years.”

“You should do, Steve,” Becca said. “It’s good for the soul.”

“Yeah, it is. I think I might. Thanks!” 

Steve asked Becca to talk him through her tattoos and she started to rattle off all the details as she pointed to different bits of the ink that covered much of her exposed skin. Bucky looked pleased; this was clearly a topic that would endear anyone to Becca.


	27. Fluffy smut!

“Becca likes you.” They had climbed into bed after what had been, at times, a stressful day for Steve. 

“Phew! Well, I’m glad she approves. I like her too.”

Bucky laughed. “You did very well. You know I like you too, don’t you?” Bucky was grinning stupidly at him. 

Steve huffed a laugh at him. “Yeah, I got that from all the times you’ve taken your clothes off - and taken my clothes off! I love you.” 

Bucky’s hand snaked down under the bedclothes to trace patterns on Steve’s inner thigh. I love you too.”

Steve turned towards him, humming quietly at the sensation and reaching for Bucky to rub the flat of his palm over any and all of the bare skin he could. 

“Steve?” Bucky’s voice was gravelly and Steve’s dick reacted, twitching where it lay, erect against his stomach.

“Hmm?”

“I really want you to fuck me. Do you want to try it?” 

Steve swallowed, arousal coursing through him. “Yeah, Buck. If you’re sure that’s what you want?”

Bucky was biting his bottom lip. “I really do.”

“When do you..?” Steve looked both excited and terrified. 

Bucky gave him the biggest, hungriest grin he’d could muster and pounced, kissing Steve hard. 

When his brain (which seemed to have temporarily stalled) had recovered, Steve kissed back just as enthusiastically. Bucky broke away to get the bottle of lubricant from the bedside drawer and then sank back into Steve’s arms, the lube on the bed next to them. 

As they rolled over on the big bed, kissing, gripping, stroking and breathing hard, Steve found worries crowding in on him. Bucky must have sensed his distraction. 

He rolled them so he was on top, propped himself on an elbow and drew back to look at the man he loved so much. “Stevie? What you worrying about?”

Steve flushed. “Hurtin’ you.” He stroked Bucky’s arms tenderly and Bucky found himself amazed that someone so good, so kind and caring, could imagine himself hurting Bucky with that beautiful body. He didn’t think Steve was capable of it. “I want to make you feel as good as you do for me.”

“You will. I know you will.” There was still a knot of concern between Steve’s eyebrows. Bucky smoothed it with the flat of his thumb. “I promise we won’t do anything that doesn’t feel amazing.”

“You’ll tell me? Any little thing doesn’t feel good, or if I do something wrong and you’ll tell me?”

“Straight away. Promise.”

Bucky kissed Steve and they relaxed into each other again. He felt the tension drain from Steve’s shoulders. 

His breaths started to speed up. Bucky smirked into their kiss. He loved the effect he had on his boyfriend. He shucked off his boxers and reached for the lube. 

Bucky carefully warmed some lube between his palms and used it to coat the fingers of Steve’s right hand. Looking at Steve now, and biting his bottom lip, he drew the hand between his legs and encouraged Steve to touch him. Pupils blown, Steve circled one finger around Bucky’s entrance as he had before. Looking at Steve while he did this was such a turn-on. Bucky fought to lie still, resisting the urge to writhe, and moaned. Steve pushed a fingertip into his body and Bucky’s eyes closed for a moment. “Fuck!” 

Steve looked concerned when he opened his eyes again, but one look was enough to convince him that Bucky was enjoying this. Bucky reached for the lube again, and Steve suddenly found himself worrying that there wasn’t enough on his fingers - that he was hurting Bucky - but the lube wasn’t for him. Bucky slicked up a hand and reached for Steve, running the lube the length of Steve’s dick. Steve breathed harder. 

With Steve gently massaging and exploring and Bucky giving Steve long, lazy strokes, the pair became a writhing bundle of warm skin and appreciative moans. Bucky had to beg Steve to add another finger, but when Steve thought it was time for a third he asked Bucky. Delighted that Steve was gaining in confidence, Bucky moaned a yes. 

“How do you want me?” Bucky looked so good like this - cheeks pink, eyes dark and lips parted while he panted - and Steve swallowed before he answered. 

“Like this, so I can look at you? And kiss you.”

Bucky smiled and pulled Steve up over him. Steve applied more lube to himself and then eagerly lined himself up with Bucky’s body. “I love you,” he reminded him. 

Bucky kissed him. “I love you too. And I love how you make me feel so good. Please, Steve.”

The sensation of breaching Bucky’s body was overwhelming to Steve. He was almost completely focused on the expression on that beautiful face as he gently pushed forward, the pleasurable sensations of heat and pressure almost an afterthought. Bucky pulled him forward, gripping his back and then his buttocks to pull him in, and Steve sank into his lovers body until his hips met Bucky’s. 

Bucky’s face was a mask of intensity and pleasure. “Fuck, Stevie. You feel so good!” They kissed and both moaned into the other. “It’s time to move, Stevie. Want you to make me cum.”

Bucky had deliberately made his pleas about his own pleasure and Steve wanted more than anything to give him what he wanted. He drew back and began a slow, steady pace. Once he had established a rhythm, he reached between them and grasped Bucky’s dick with his slick hand. Bucky keened. 

They kissed and then remained only inches apart, breathing the same air as they panted and moaned. Steve gathered Bucky into his arms. He sped up and Bucky encouraged him. “Fuck! Yes, Stevie. Please! You feel so good inside me!”

Looking into his eyes, Steve could see Bucky’s orgasm approaching. Leaning on his left elbow, left forearm wrapped around Bucky’s shoulders and holding him close and right hand drawing his orgasm nearer stroke by stroke, he watched as Bucky came apart at the seams. That moment of no return, when Bucky gave himself over to pleasure, tipped Steve over into the most intense orgasm of his life. His body reacted without his conscious brain engaging: his eyes closed, he let out an involuntary strained moan and he collapsed onto Bucky as pleasure shot through the length of his body in waves. 

He came to with Bucky laughing softly and cuddling him close. His face was tucked into the crook of Bucky’s neck and Bucky’s fingers were tangled into the short hair at the nape if his neck. 

“Fuck that was good!” Bucky laughed again. 

Steve’s voice was muffled. “M’I squashing you?”

“No. Stay right there. Don’t you dare move.”

“Good. Don’t think I can.”

“That good for you too, huh?”

Bucky took Steve’s long, “Mmmmmmmmm,” as confirmation.


	28. Rainbows

“Turn down the volume!” Anna hissed. “If your dad hears us watching this, he’ll go mad. He’ll stop me coming over.” 

Lee snorted a quiet laugh, but he turned the volume down anyway. “My dad loves it that I have a girl in my room. If you hadn’t started coming over, I think he’d have sent me away to some conversion camp by now. Maybe we should jump up and down on the bed and make sex noises?” 

On the screen, crowds glittered and danced at NYC’s pride parade. “Well if he finds us watching this, and tells my parents, they will start asking questions about me and Kristy. I love you, you dick, but I have no wish to share your fate. As soon as I’m old enough, I’m out of this shitty little town.” Lee had heard it all before, but he knew she meant it. Anna looked as determined as ever. 

“We could get a little apartment. And you could cook breakfast for my gentlemen callers,” he joked. She rolled her eyes, laughing. 

On screen, uniformed figures were dancing and waving from a float. They were wearing the suits that were so familiar to the public, but today they were covered in strings of beads, rainbow flags and flower garlands.”

“Is that...is that the Avengers?” Their jaws both dropped. The Avengers had a float. In a pride parade. 

Iron man had decorated his suit with rainbows. He climbed to a platform at the back of the float and took off, multicoloured smoke trailing behind him. 

“Please tell me Captain America is gay!”

“Because, if he is, you have a chance?” she scoffed. 

“Shut up!” Lee swatted at his best friend, smiling. “A boy can dream!”

“Dream on. Anyway, it looks like he’s taken. Holy shit - look at that!” 

Cap had his arm around a smiling brown haired man who pointed to the camera, drawing the hero’s attention to it. Captain America, dressed in his stars and stripes, winked right into the lens and then dipped the man to kiss him passionately. The Avengers wolf whistled and catcalled, arms in the air, and the crowd around them cheered.

Turning to each other in excitement, Lee and Anna grinned. She grabbed his arm. “Captain America is with a man! Do you think they’re all queer?” 

“I don’t...I don’t care!” There were tears in his eyes. “They’re allies. They’re at pride.”

Anna felt her eyes brimming with tears too. She took Lee’s hand and beamed. 

——————————————————————————-

Bucky grimaced, his knuckles white from gripping his cell phone, and Steve squeezed his arm in silent support. 

“You never call. We know nothing about your life, James.” 

“Well, Mom, that’s partly why I’m calling. To tell you I’m dating someone.”

“Really? Would we like her? Is she...”

Bucky sighed. His mom was such an ostrich and her head was wedged firmly in the sand on his sexuality. “Actually, you’ll see us together if you turn on the TV. One of the news channels keeps playing a clip of us.” 

“The news?!” 

“Yeah. We went to a parade and they filmed us.”

He listened as she flicked through the news channels until he could hear the same story that was on the screen in Steve’s apartment. “That one. Yeah, it should be on again in about 5 minutes if you keep watching. I have to go, Mom, but let me know what you think. Maybe, if you approve, we could all have dinner?” 

Bucky said his goodbyes and hung up, grinning at Steve. 

“Your mother’s introduction to me and our relationship is going to be me kissing you...”

“Dipping and kissing me!” Bucky interrupted, triumphantly. 

“...dipping and kissing you, surrounded by Avengers, on national television at Pride? Are you sure you don’t want to call her back and...soften the blow a bit?”

“Nope,” Bucky beamed. “It’s much too much fun this way. Plus, I figure it’s kill or cure: either she can get over her homophobia for long enough to talk to me about you or she’ll never speak to me again.”

—————————————————————————-

First there had been a long day of physically and mentally draining work at the garage, then a big meal and then there had been that incredibly satisfying hour spent with Steve in bed. Now Bucky was tired. His body felt boneless and limp, his mind pleasantly floaty. 

“You ok, doll?” Steve asked. 

Bucky hummed appreciatively at the very ‘Steve’ term of endearment, nodding and trying to tuck himself closer in to Steve’s body. Steve kissed his temple and gathered Bucky even closer in his arms, tucking the sheets around them. It took about a minute and a half for Bucky to fall soundly into slumber. Steve sighed contentedly. 

He listened to the steady, soothing rhythm of Bucky’s heart beat and admired the peaceful look on his beautiful face. He was such a deep sleeper that Steve sometimes gently carded his hands through Bucky’s hair as he slept without disturbing him, but tonight he ran first the flat of a hand and then the pads of his fingers down Bucky’s arms. 

He thought how lucky he was to find Bucky and how excited he was for their future together. At the beginning he had resolved to make Bucky the happiest he possibly could and he was, it it was possible, even more determined to do that now. Bucky had already made Steve happier than he had ever imagined. 

Bucky stirred, smacking his lips and cuddling close. “Go to sleep, Stevie.” He smiled. “You’re such a sap! I can practically hear your sappy thoughts, punk.” 

Steve’s silent chuckles rocked the bed a little. He kissed Bucky’s head and settled down to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s a wrap! Thank you so much for reading and for kudos and comments. Please let me know any comments or criticisms now I’ve finished. It would be very much appreciated.


End file.
